CONCORD, N.C. — David Ragan and Front Row Motorsports will have a flashy look on the No. 38 Ford next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, as Juice Batteries and Racing Electronics return to sponsor Ragan during the fifth race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Ragan will fly a lime green-and-purple paint scheme in the Alabama 500 (2 p.m. on Oct. 15, NBC) as he seeks his second-career Talladega victory with Front Row Motorsports.
The unveil comes as Juice Batteries ramps up their partnership with Racing Electronics, which sported a refreshed logo on the No. 38 Ford as part of the paint scheme announcement Friday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Juice has been on our car a couple of times this year, and we’re also very proud to have Racing Electronics unveil their new logo and help them with their rebranding,” Ragan added. “It’s a neat deal where two different groups in our industry can come together to help their business out, so it’s really cool to see and great that we can be a part of that. It definitely shows the power of marketing through NASCAR.”
Talladega will mark the third time this season that Juice Batteries has been Ragan’s primary sponsor, following appearances at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March and at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
Ragan’s first Talladega win — which came in May of 2013 — was a landmark moment for Front Row Motorsports, as it marked team owner Bob Jenkins’ maiden victory at NASCAR’s top level.
Now, the Unadilla, Ga. native hopes he can replicate that past success at a track he enjoys returning to every year.
“Talladega is one of my favorite tracks, and it’s always a fun weekend down there,” said Ragan. “Obviously it’s a playoff race and close to my hometown, so both of those things make it more special. I’ve been in victory lane and also part of the Big One there … you just never know how it’s going to go, but we always go there with high expectations.”
“The Fords have been fast at the speedways, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. winning a couple, and the Roush-Yates horsepower has been strong,” Ragan added. “I think we’ll have a shot to lead some laps and be up front but you have to have a little bit of luck, because again, you never know when something’s going to happen. You just hope that you’ll be in the right place at the right time.”
Ragan also paid a nod to how far Front Row Motorsports has come in the five years since he first began working with them in 2012, citing returning partners as key to continued success.
“I think when you look at our partners that continue to come back year after year, and you look at our results at some of the tracks … it’s not consistent top-15’s and top-20’s, but you can see there are moments where we are really competitive and really strong at a lot of different types of race tracks,” Ragan said of the team’s progress.
“It’s really hard in this day and age to grow from a small team that Bob Jenkins founded to compete with these powerhouse teams, but he’s been committed over the last 10 years and it’s been fun to have played a small role in that (growth) over the past five (seasons).”
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: editor@racechaseronline.com
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