Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR: 10 drivers who deserve better rides in the Cup Series

By Asher Fair

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 01: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Chldrn 95th Annvrsry Ford, and Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 01: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Chldrn 95th Annvrsry Ford, and Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Overton’s Ford (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Overton’s Ford (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

#8 – David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports, No. 38 Ford

David Ragan, 31, has spent some seasons driving for some solid teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has performed well for the solid teams he has driven for, and that’s despite the fact that none of the teams he has ever driven for have been as good as top-tier teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing or Stewart-Haas Racing.

Ragan began driving full-time in the Cup Series in 2007 for Roush Fenway Racing, and he kicked off his time there with a 5th place finish at the Daytona 500. He drove for the team from 2007 through 2011 before driving for Front Row Motorsports full-time from 2012 to 2014. He drove for Front Row Motorsports in the 2015 Daytona 500 before making the transition to Joe Gibbs Racing to replace the injured Kyle Busch for a few races.

After nine races in relief of Busch, Ragan drove for Michael Waltrip Racing for the rest of 2015. In 2016, he ended up with BK Racing before making a return to Front Row Motorsports this season. In 386 career Cup Series starts, he has 15 top 5 finishes and 38 top 10 finishes.

While he hasn’t finished in the top 5 in over two seasons since when he was the replacement driver for Kyle Busch at the top-tier Joe Gibbs Racing organization, Ragan does have two top 10 finishes in the last 15 races with a 10th place finish at Talladega and a 6th place finish at Daytona, the two tracks where his two career victories have come at. As evidenced during his time replacing Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing especially, Ragan could shine if given the chance to drive for a top-tier team.

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