Talladega II: David Ragan preview

"Talladega is a track where things happen quickly and you need some luck to make sure you're in the right spot at the right time. It's a wide, smooth track which creates tight packs and makes for some exciting racing. It's all about making smart decisions the whole race and maybe giving a little at the beginning so you are around at the end. We should have a very fast UPS Ford; we're taking the new FR9 engine that Jack, Doug Yates and the engine department has put a lot of hard work into. A few weeks ago at Daytona we tested the new engine and have a lot of confidence in it. Five-hundred miles makes for a long race, so the goal will be to qualify well and stay out of trouble and hopefully have some help around when it counts to get a good finish."

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:

"We are looking forward to taking the new engine to Talladega this weekend. We tested the new engine at Daytona a few weeks ago and had some good results. Talladega is a good track for us and David is strong there so we should be good this weekend. We really need some solid finishes to end the season on a good note and Talladega is a place where we can definitely make that happen."

FAST FACTS

* Ragan was the only Roush driver to finish inside the top 10 in both Talladega races in 2008.

* Ragan has visited Talladega Superspeedway five times in his Sprint Cup Series career. His best finish came in the fall of 2008 where he qualified 16th and finished third.

* In the spring of this year Ragan earned his first Nationwide Series victory at Talladega. Ragan has a total of three Nationwide Series starts, out of those three starts two are top-five finishes.

* Ragan also has one Camping World Truck Series start at Talladega. Ragan competed in the fall of 2006, qualifying second and finishing seventh.

* UPS Maximum Center Recognition--Talladega Superspeedway The Jacksonville South Center (SLIC - 3204) in the North Florida District was selected for the November 1 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Out of 11 Balanced Scorecard categories, the center was the district's top ranked group in eight sections--Average Growth Volume per assigned FSP, Assigned FSP with Producing Lead, Origin Scan, Delivery Scan, Exception Scan, Left in Building, Misloads, and Dart.

-credit: rft