David Ragan navigated Martinsville Speedway almost as well as Ferdinand Magellan navigated the high seas, working his way from the 20th starting position to a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s STP 500.
Not only was the showing Ragan’s best since subbing for Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, but it was also his best finish since winning the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5, 2013.
The Unadilla, GA driver’s performance was just one highlight on the day for JGR. The Huntersville, North Carolina-based organization placed three drivers in the top five: winner Denny Hamlin, fourth-place Matt Kenseth and Ragan.
JGR newcomer Carl Edward stayed up front most of the day with a 7.5 average running position and 13 laps led, but had a tough-luck 17th-place finish.
Ragan will look to carry this momentum through the off weekend and into the next event on April 11 at Texas Motor Speedway.
While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes this weekend off, WDUN will have live PRN Radio coverage of the series' next race on April 11 from the Texas World Speedway at 6:30 pm on 102.9 FM and 550 AM.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: After Rough Start, Elliott Is On The Move
Chase Elliott has spent most of 2015 climbing back up the standings after starting the season with a 28th-place finish at Daytona.
Following Daytona, the Dawsonville, GA speedster has rallied off three top fives and four top 10s putting him third in the series standings 10 points back from second-place Chris Buescher and 15 points behind Ty Dillon.
Elliott is back in championship form. In his last four races he has posted an average finish of 5.25. His loop data for 2015 also supports his ascension in the points. He is ranked fifth in driver rating (100.0), and third in average running position (8.694).
Elliott could see a strong boost in the series’ next stop, Texas Motor Speedway on April 10, where he scored his first career Xfinity Series victory a year ago.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series has this weekend off. WDUN will have live PRN Radio coverage of the series' next race on April 10 at 8 pm on 102.9 FM and 550 AM.
NASCAR Camping World Trucks: Custer’s Last Stand
On paper, Cole Custer’s 16th-place finish in Saturday’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville doesn’t do justice for the performance he put on during his highly anticipated season debut in JR Motorsports’ first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
Running third on the 246th lap despite two earlier pit road speeding penalties, the 17-year-old NASCAR Next member saw his one shot at the win.
Coming out of turn 1 behind Matt Crafton and Joey Logano, Custer squeezed his No. 00 Chevrolet between the two veteran drivers and split through them for the lead. He led for two laps, looking like he could pull out the victory, until Crafton tracked him down and made contact, ending Custer’s chances at his second career victory.
On the weekend, Custer posted the fastest time in NCWTS practice (96.068 mph) and finished second in qualifying. His next truck series start will take place in the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway on May 29. Custer is scheduled to run eight more NCWTS races this season, all for JR Motorsports.
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