"I felt like it took us about 300 laps to get all the monkeys off of our back and get our car repaired (from earlier contact) and kind of get some track position. I felt like our car was really good on a long run, and we were fortunate that we had a couple of long runs today. I’m proud of our guys for never giving up. We spent a lot of time on pit road, so it was a solid day, and I’m happy to get out of here and look forward to Richmond."
Like noted above Ragans teammate Michael McDowell had a strong weekend going qualifying inside the top-ten for the first time in 2018. The No. 34 Love's Truck Stop Ford Fusion was strong all weekend but didn't get the chance to show it in the race as on lap nine, McDowell got loose in the VHT and spun and hit the inside wall hard enough to end their afternoon. He would finish the race in the 38th position, his worst finish since New Hampshire in 2016 where he finished 39th.
"It’s just unfortunate," McDowell said in the team release. "There are no excuses. I was just racing the 19 and got loose underneath him. There’s not a lot of grip. It rained all day and that VHT just doesn’t do well without heat. I was stuck on the bottom and that was about it. I really hate it for my guys. We had a fast Love’s Travel Stops Ford and just to be out this early is really heartbreaking."
Strong results at Martinsville and Bristol show that Front Row Motorsports short track program is improving. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond this weekend, another short track that both drivers have performed well at in the past. Ragan has the best finish of third at Richmond coming in 2007. He's finished fourth in both events at Richmond in 2011. His best start at Richmond came in 2015 where he qualified 5th with Michael Waltrip Racing.
"Richmond is almost like the superspeedway of short tracks," said Ragan in the team release. "Handling is very important, but it’s got that long, sweeping front straightaway. Forward drive is so critical to get off of Turn 4, so you can get the power down and carry a lot of speed into Turn 1. I think that’s a great passing zone off of Turn 4 and getting into Turn 1. So, Richmond is one of my favorite tracks."
In 14 starts at the Richmond International Raceway, McDowell has a best finish of 12th in 2016. In 2012, McDowell qualified 12th which remains his best career start at the track in Richmond Virginia. K-Love Radio returns to the car for the second time of 2018.
"We're excited for Richmond because it's another track where Front Row Motorsports runs well, so we're looking forward to getting our K-LOVE Ford on track and see what we can do," McDowell said. "With the reconfiguration, it drives more like a mile-and-a-half than it does a short track. But I believe it produces some of the best racing that we see. A lot of that has to do with tire fall-off, so you have to manage your tires well." (Koelle,2018)
Photo Credit - Jonathan McCoy/Jonathan McCoy Photography
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