DPR Sports & Racing News

Ragan Gets his Daytona Win, five months later.

2010 Photo From Chicagoland Speedway (Dan Peters)

David Ragan took the lead and held on for two green-white-checker finishes to score his first career Sprint Cup points’ victory at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday night’s wild Coke Zero 400 finish. 

Matt Kenseth, who pushed Ragan to the victory finished second. The two paired for the entire race, combining to lead 29 laps. The victory is Roush Fenway’s fifth Sprint Cup victory at Daytona International Speedway and the team’s fourth in the Coke Zero 400. The win gives Ford Motor Company the 2011 sweep at the "World Center of Racing."

“This is fun. There’s not a better place to do it than Daytona,” said Ragan in victory lane. “We delivered a win for UPS. I’ve been promising all those ‘UPSers’ for a couple of years and final got it in Daytona. It couldn’t be any better.

“I have to thank Matt Kenseth,” added Ragan. “We really worked well together tonight and he pushed me to the finish line. This is just awesome.”

For Roush Fenway it marks the organization’s fourth points’ win in the Sprint Cup Series this season; the team also hoisted the trophy in the Sprint All-Star Challenge and All-Star Showdown. For the season Ragan is the fifth Roush Fenway NASCAR driver to visit victory lane in 2011.  Roush Fenway has now visited winner’s circle a total of 12 times during the 2011 season, including Nationwide wins.

Ragan, who made his 163^rd career Cup start in the race, becomes the second Roush Fenway driver to score his first-career Cup win at the Daytona July race, joining Greg Biffle who won his first race at the famed track in 2003. He is the fifth Roush Fenway driver to win a Cup race at Daytona in the team’s 24-year history.

With the finish, Edwards fell to second place; only five points out of first. With the victory, Ragan moved into serious contention for the “Chase” wild card spot, joining Edwards and Kenseth in the 12-car field if the ‘regular’ season were ended today. Nine races remain before the cut-off mark at Richmond.

The Sprint Cup Series returns to action next weekend for the inaugural Sprint Cup event at Kentucky Speedway.

Photo Gallery from the 2010 LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway