David Ragan is back for more NASCAR Cup Series racing, and this time it goes beyond the confines of Daytona International Speedway. On Wednesday, Rick Ware Racing announced Ragan will drive the #15 Ford Mustang on a “multi-race deal” beginning with the Daytona 500 on 20 February. Where his later starts will come was not immediately revealed.
Ragan was a mainstay in the Cup garage as he competed full-time from 2007 to 2019, during which he established himself as a respectable superspeedway racer with his two career wins coming at Daytona and Talladega. Save for a two-year stint in the Toyota camp, much of his career was spent in a Ford for the likes of now-RFK Racing and Front Row Motorsports. After retiring from regular racing, he remained involved with Ford as a simulator driver and giving input on the Next Gen car ahead of its début in 2022.
He also occasionally returned to the driver’s seat following retirement. Ragan ran the 2020 and 2021 Daytona 500s for FRM, with the former coming in a partnership between said team and RWR. A fourth in the first race is his best career 500 finish and RWR’s only top five to date, while he was caught in an early wreck in the second.
The Georgia native also sporadically raced in the Truck Series, running two races in 2020 for what is now David Gilliland Racing, owned by his former FRM team-mate.
“I have always loved racing at Daytona, and know that we will have a shot to lead laps and contend for the win this year,” Ragan commented. “The Daytona 500 is a special race with the best drivers in the world, and I cant wait to hit the track.”
FRM has no involvement in the #15 as RWR now has a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing.
“David is a great asset to the RWR family,” said team owner Rick Ware. “In 2020, RWR scored our first top five in the Daytona 500 with Ragan behind the wheel, and I’m optimistic that through our new Ford Performance alliance, we could see that #15 leading the field to the checkered flag on February 20th.”
