Getty David Ragan will return to Rick Ware Racing in 2022.
Rick Ware Racing has made a big announcement about the season-opening Daytona 500. The NASCAR Cup Series team has revealed that David Ragan will drive the No. 15 entry for the season-opening race on February 20.
The Cup Series team issued a press release on January 12 and announced that Ragan will make his 16th start in the Daytona 500 and second with RWR. The press release also announced that Ragan will make multiple other starts for the team during the 2022 Cup Series season.
.@DavidRagan will join RWR for the #DAYTONA500, piloting the No. 15 @FordPerformance Mustang @DAYTONA.
“I am really excited to have David back behind the wheel of one of our Rick Ware Racing Ford’s,” said team owner Rick Ware in a statement. “David is a great asset to the RWR family. In 2020, RWR scored our first Top 5 in the DAYTONA 500 with Ragan behind the wheel, and I’m optimistic that through our new Ford Performance alliance, we could see that No. 15 leading the field to the checkered flag on February 20th.”
Ragan previously competed in an RWR entry during the 2020 Daytona 500, his first race since walking away from full-time racing in 2019. He started 30th overall in the Great American Race, but he finished fourth overall in the No. 36 Ford Mustang after avoiding several crashes. Ragan also competed in the 2021 Daytona 500 while driving for Front Row Motorsports, but a crash ended his day after 13 laps.
Ragan Has Made 472 Starts in the Cup Series
GettyDavid Ragan has 472 starts in the Cup Series.
The Georgia native is no stranger to the Daytona 500 and Cup Series competition. Ragan has nearly 500 starts at NASCAR’s top level, dating back to the 2006 season and featuring starts with championship-winning organizations.
Ragan first made his Cup Series debut in 2006 with two starts for Roush Fenway Racing. He only finished one of these races, a 25th-place run at Martinsville Speedway, and then moved over to the No. 6 on a full-time basis in 2007. Ragan’s first season with RFR featured three top-10 finishes and two top-fives, starting with a fifth-place finish in the Daytona 500.
Ragan spent 13 full-time seasons in the Cup Series, split between RFR, Joe Gibbs Racing, BK Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Front Row Motorsports. He posted two wins at the top level — one at Daytona and one at Talladega — during his career and added two more in the Xfinity Series. Now Ragan will suit up once again for a superspeedway race and try to win a Crown Jewel race.
Ragan Tested the Next Gen Cup Series Car
Catching those @DAYTONA rays 😎
With NASCAR moving to the Next Gen Cup Series cars in 2022, Ragan needed to get some seat time before the practice and qualifying sessions during Speedweeks. He accomplished this goal during the second of two test days at Daytona International Speedway.
RWR brought the No. 15 Ford to Daytona on January 11-12 to gain critical information about how the Next Gen cars will handle while racing in a pack on the banked corners. Cody Ware controlled the stock car for the first day of testing and the morning of the second day. He then handed off control to Ragan to close out the two-day session.
“I am thrilled to be back in The DAYTONA 500 driving the new 2022 Ford Mustang for RWR,” Ragan said in a statement. “I have always loved racing at Daytona, and know that we will have a shot to lead laps and contend for the win this year. The DAYTONA 500 is a special race with the best drivers in the world, and I can’t wait to hit the track.”
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Rick Ware Racing Names First Daytona 500 Driver