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NASCAR: The low-key significance of David Ragan’s Daytona 500 deal

By Asher Fair

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Thank You David Ford, stands on the grid during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Thank You David Ford, stands on the grid during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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David Ragan’s deal to compete in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 has more significance than him simply competing in the race.

David Ragan announced last August that the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season would be his final season as a full-time competitor in the sport, as his focus from the end of the season would primarily shift to his family.

But one thing he refused to rule out was a return to the Cup Series as a part-time driver, and now we know why.

Last week, Rick Ware Racing confirmed a partnership with Front Row Motorsports, the team with which Ragan spent six of his 13 full seasons in the Cup Series, for the 34-year-old Unadilla, Georgia native to open up the 2020 season behind the wheel of the #36 Ford in the Daytona 500.

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But Ragan’s deal is much more than him simply competing in this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona International Speedway oval in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Rick Ware Racing have planned on running three cars on a full-time basis throughout the 2020 season, and they currently have only two drivers confirmed full-time. Those two drivers are J.J. Yeley and Joey Gase. They have also had only two charters.

With 36 charters available, there were 35 being utilized. The only one that wasn’t was the one that was utilized by the #36 team at Front Row Motorsports last season. However, Front Row Motorsports downsized from three cars to two, eliminating the #36 team, and as a result, they no longer had a need for this charter.

Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported that Front Row Motorsports would end up sending this charter to Rick Ware Racing for their third full-time entry, and that is indeed slated to be the case.

Now it has been confirmed by multiple sources that it is the #36 Ford that Ragan is set to drive in this race that will end up with this charter.

Why is this significant moving forward?

Because whether this particular car was chartered or not has several implications, for both the Daytona 500 and for the entire season.

Take a look at the two scenarios and everything that would come with both of them.

Because the #36 Ford is chartered…

  • It will not have a full-time driver; we know that David Ragan will not be competing full-time. This reduces the maximum potential driver total in the full-time lineup by one. It is currently at 34 with between zero and two more yet to be confirmed. It is, however, now set at 34 drivers competing with charters, as the Spire Motorsports car will be shared.
  • Ragan will be guaranteed a Daytona 500 entry.
  • Rick Ware Racing are not guaranteed to run more than three cars in the Daytona 500.
  • There are 41 confirmed Daytona 500 entries, meaning as of now, one driver will fail to qualify for the race.

Had the #36 Ford been a fourth Rick Ware Racing entry…

  • Rick Ware Racing would have had to name another Daytona 500 driver for their third chartered car, giving them four drivers for the race.
  • Rick Ware Racing still could have ended up with three full-time drivers.
  • Ragan would not have been guaranteed a Daytona 500 spot.
  • There would have been 42 confirmed Daytona 500 entries, meaning that as of now, two drivers would fail to qualify for the race, and one of them could have been Ragan.

Fortunately for Ragan, he won’t have to worry about locking himself into the field and potentially failing to qualify for the race.

Is there still a chance that Rick Ware Racing will field an extra Daytona 500 entry? Absolutely. But now we know that if this is the case, it would not be complicated, as it would be nothing more than another non-chartered car needing to qualify for the race, just like any other additions to the entry list would be from here on out with the 36 charters set.

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How many drivers will ultimately attempt to qualify for the 62nd Daytona 500 when qualifying week rolls around? The single-car qualifying session for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season opener is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 9, and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels that will ultimately set the starting grid are set to be broadcast live from the track beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 13. Finally, Fox is set to broadcast the race itself live beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 16.

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