AAA Sponsors #6 Ford Fusion

AAA and Roush Racing have teamed for the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup racing series. AAA, the organization that helped pioneer and officiate motorsports in the United States until 1955, is the primary sponsor of Roush Racing's flagship No. 6 Nextel Cup Ford Fusion.

DAVID RAGAN FINISHES 18TH IN RAIN-DELAYED RACE AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

David Ragan and the No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford Fusion

 

Started 25th / Finished 18th

 

BROOKLYN, MI (August 21, 2007) –The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series had a long, wet weekend at Michigan International Speedway after the 3M Performance 400, scheduled to run on Sunday, was rained out for two consecutive days.

 

After two postponements, the race time was set for Tuesday morning at 10:00am EST.  The garage area opened at 8:00am and soon the grand stands were speckled with the few devoted fans that returned for the third scheduled event date.

 

Although the race was rained out on Sunday, the teams were able to qualify on Friday afternoon before the weather moved into the area.  David Ragan, rookie driver of the No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford Fusion, qualified 25th for the 200-lap event.

 

Before qualifying on Friday, David Ragan and Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, announced that their sponsors have come together to offer AAA members savings at The UPS Store® through AAA’s Show Your Card & Save® program. In addition to domestic and international shipping, The UPS Store offers freight services, printing and copying services, notary services, document finishing, office supplies, packaging materials, and more.  AAA members can save 15 percent off of the full retail price of eligible products and services, while saving five percent on shipping costs.

 

When the fog finally lifted on Tuesday morning, the 3M Performance 400 got underway.  When the green flag dropped there were already 12 laps completed since NASCAR decided to run under the caution flag for a short time while waiting for the fog to clear out.  Ragan was in 23rd position when the field went green and quickly moved into the top-15 with a very fast race car.

 

He radioed to his team on lap 28 to inform them that his AAA Insurance Ford Fusion was too “tight” getting into the corners and through the middle of the turns and was too “loose” on exit.  The back end was beginning to slide and he needed to be loosened up to improve his entrance into the turns.

 

On lap 30 a predetermined competition caution took place allowing crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, to bring Ragan into the pits for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.  Ragan reentered the field in 17th position.

 

The track went green again on lap 34 and with the changes made to his machine, Ragan was able to work his way up to 11th position before he started to see changes in the handling of his race car again.  With twenty laps on his tires he was starting to lose grip on exit from the corners.

 

On lap 70 Ragan was forced to pit under the green flag for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.  He returned to the track in 24th place, but was running 18th by the time the caution flag flew on lap 87.

 

At this point Ragan had figured out that his AAA Insurance Ford was too loose at the start of a run and then went from neutral to tight after 20 to 25 laps.

 

Fennig listened to Ragan and on lap 89 brought his back into the pits for fresh tires, fuel and a track bar and air pressure adjustment.  Ragan reentered the field maintaining his 18th place position.

 

Ragan and the AAA pit crew were forced to make two more green flag pit stops before the conclusion of the 200 lap race.  The two stops required adjustments to both the right rear wedge and the track bar in an attempt to continue to improve the handling of the No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford.

 

Ragan made his final stop of the day under the yellow flag on lap 177.  Four tires, fuel and a final air pressure adjustment was Fennig’s order and Ragan reentered the field in the 16th spot with 23 laps to go.

 

Ragan was able to maintain his positioning in the top-20 and fought to keep it when the final laps of the race were completed with a green, white, checkered finish.  Ragan crossed the finish line in 18th place.

 

“It’s been a few races since we’ve been the top Raybestos Rookie so that’s a good day today,” said Ragan.  “I felt like we lost a little bit those last two restarts.  It took our car a few laps to get rolling.  Our car was really, really fast all day but we were off just a little bit there at the end.  They got the best of me and I felt like we lost three or four spots that we shouldn’t have, but all-in-all an excellent day for the AAA Insurance Ford.  A top-20 gets some more points and a good way to head into Bristol.”

 

Ragan is currently 22nd in the NEXTEL Cup Series Championship point standings and second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year race.

 

Ragan will compete next at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Sharpie 500 on August 25th.  Coverage begins at 7:00pm EST on ESPN and PRN.

About Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating 13 motorsports teams, five in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; five in the Busch Series with Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, McMurray, Ragan, Todd Kluever, Michel Jourdain Jr. and Danny O’Quinn Jr.; and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Edwards, Peter Shepherd, Travis Kvapil and Erik Darnell. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.