TALLADEGA, Ala. -- After competing in nearly 200 races in NASCAR's three marquee series, David Ragan picked up his first victory in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway besting, among others, restrictor plate expert Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ragan positioned his No. 6 Discount Tire Ford just behind the lead pack cars of Ryan Newman, Earnhardt and veteran Tony Raines in the final laps. And when the typical Talladega last lap scramble broke out, Ragan slipped by for the checkered flag about six feet in front of Newman. Joey Logano, Raines and Earnhardt rounded out the top 5.
As Ragan made his maiden trip to Victory Lane, most drivers -- including Earnhardt and Newman -- stepped out onto pit to congratulate the 23-year-old.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s performance -- or lack thereof -- in 2009 has become a contentious debate, last weekend's Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway lacked the pizazz we're used to at Bristol and a few drivers have struggled to put forth results that'll leave you scratching your head.
Find out as FH's Wheel2Wheel takes a look at NASCAR's current stories and issues. Read on to see what we've got to say, and when you're done, tell us exactly how we're wrong. It'll be more fun than sneaking your family sedan on to Daytona's high banks for a late night joyride.
Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.
Driver: David Ragan Team: No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford '08 Final Standing: 13th (-2385) Best Race: New Hampshire (4th-place) Worst Race: Kansas & Phoenix (43rd-place)
Season in a box: Ragan's biggest impact on the Sprint Cup Series came after his first race at Martinsville when Tony Stewart deemed the then-rookie a "dart without feathers." After 2008, though, Ragan has gained quite a bit more respect from the entire series.
Kenseth got a new "multi-year dear" from RFR to keep him as the driver of the No. 17 Ford for well past 2010, when his current contract was set to expire. Terms weren't disclosed by the team, but I'd imagine the contract puts Kenseth in a position to make RFR his final place of stock car employment with either a heavily extended contract from his current one or one loaded with options.
Kenseth, a native of Cambridge, Wisc., turns 37 in March.
For teammate McMurray -- who's been nothing short of a disappointment during his time at RFR but showed some flashes of brilliance towards the end of the 2008 -- Kenseth's re-signing might be a nail in the coffin for his future at RFR.
That appears to have been a smart move because just about nine minutes into the weekend's final practice session Friday, a Goodyear tire off of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car decided to hit the fan:
As you can see, Earnhardt Jr. was leading a pack of about 10 cars into turn three of the 2.5-mile high-banked circuit when his right-rear tire decided to imitate a hot dog kept in the microwave a little too long.
Or, he's at least ready to drive the colors of the truck.
Roush Fenway Racing & UPS announced on Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that Ragan would sport the brown and white colors of UPS on his No. 6 Ford starting in 2009 as the sponsor makes it's second high-profile move in three years.
Let me say that again: David Ragan is 46 points away from the making the Chase for the Sprint Cup!
Yes, the driver with one of the coolest hometowns (Unadilla, Georgia -- it just rolls off the tongue) in all the NASCAR racing that got less than a ringing endorsement from Tony Stewart when he entered the Sprint Cup Series in 2006 ("a dart without feathers" according to Smoke) is very quietly making a name for himself in the Sprint Cup garage.
In the past four races, the driver of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford has a worst finish of 14th at Indianapolis with three Top-10s, including two 5th-place finishes at Daytona and at Pocono last Sunday.
A finish of 40th at New Hampshire wasn't indicative of how well he ran there, as it was instead the result of teammate Jamie McMurray failing to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. which lead to a chain reaction crash that took out Ragan.
Most importantly, though, is that Ragan has established himself as a major player for one of the final Chase spots with just a handful of races left until the cutoff at Richmond. Ragan, as stated above, is just 46 points away from the cutoff spot of 12th, and just 35 points behind teammate Matt Kenseth in 13th.
Carl Edwards is back in victory lane in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Edwards -- who couldn't catch Jimmie Johnson in last week's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard -- finally captured his fourth victory of the 2008 season in Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 after being oh-so-close for the last three races on the Sprint Cup schedule.
Edwards has finished second twice in the past three races (Indianapolis and Daytona) and had the car to beat late in the going at Chicagoland before blowing a tire and breaking his front splitter.
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- After competing in nearly 200 races in NASCAR's three marquee series, David Ragan picked up his first victory in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway besting, among others, restrictor plate expert Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Less than a lap into Sunday's 
Matt Kenseth
