David Ragan – Race Recap
Pocono 500-Long Pond, Pa. / June 10th, 2007
Started 36th / Finished 26th

RAGAN FINISHES 26TH AFTER RAIN SPOILS THE DAY AT POCONO RACEWAY

LONG POND, Pa. (June 10, 2007) –NASCAR experienced the fourth rain delay of the 2007 season at Pocono Raceway on Sunday afternoon when thunderstorms in the area moved in and postponed the 2:00pm EST start of the Pocono 500.

After several hours of drying the track’s surface, drivers were asked to report to their cars and the command to start engines was given at approximately 4:40 pm EST.

Rookie David Ragan came to Pocono with only the knowledge that he gained from racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at the two and a half mile track. He rolled of pit road 36th for the start of the event after hitting the curb during his first qualifying lap on Friday afternoon.

Ragan gained a few spots after the green flag dropped a little before 5:00 pm EST, but quickly dropped back to 40th when he began to struggle with a tight race car.

The AAA team made their first pit stop of the day under the green flag on lap 25. The crew quickly went to work giving Ragan fresh tires; fuel and a wedge adjustment before sending him back out in 40th place.

Ragan was able to work his way into the top-30 by lap 48 when the caution flag flew for the second time. He radioed to his team that the adjustment made during the first stop helped, but after the first ten to 15 laps of the run his car began to tighten up again.

Crew Chief, Jimmy Fennig, made the call to bring Ragan back into the pits on lap 50 this time for a track bar and air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel. Ragan reentered the field in 29th position, gaining two spots on pit road.

There was a third caution on lap 55 during which Ragan came back into the pits for another air pressure adjustment, four tires, fuel and a half round in the right rear wedge. Ragan restarted in 31st position.

The green flag flew again on lap 58 but Ragan had little time to evaluate the handling of his Ford Fusion before the yellow flag was back out on lap 63 for debris on the track. Ragan came into the pits again but this time no adjustments were made and he returned to the field in 32nd place.

From lap 66 until the conclusion of the race the track remained green. As thunderstorms once again rolled into the area it became more and more important that the half way mark of 100 laps be complete allowing any rain after that to enable NASCAR to pronounce the race officially over.

Ragan was running 21st when he was forced to pit under green for the second time of the day. The AAA pit crew quickly gave him four tires and fuel and sent him back out in 33rd position.

Ragan worked his way back up to 26th position when rain was reported on the backstretch. He radioed to his team that his AAA Ford was running the best that it had all day and was about half way to perfect.

Unfortunately the rain never let up and as it grew later in the evening and closer to sun down NASCAR was forced officially call the race.

Ragan finished in 26th position which is where he was when the caution came out.

“I took this place for granted a little bit,” said Ragan. “I thought I could fall in and be ready to go but this place is a lot harder than I thought. I’m not a big video game player and maybe I should have came up here and brought an old ARCA car and run some or played some on the video game back home. It just took me a little while in practice to get going. I struggled on restarts with the draft. I seemed to lose a spot or two. We’ve got a decent car. I think we’ve got a top-15, top-20 car. We’ll take what it gives us today and go to Michigan next week.”

Ragan is currently 27th in the Nextel Cup Championship point standings and second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Race. He trails Juan Pablo Montoya by six points.

Ragan will compete next at Michigan International Speedway on June 17th. Coverage begins at 12:30 Eastern on TNT and MRN.