David Ragan, piloting the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion, will make his fourth Sprint Cup Series start on Sunday at Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway.
Ragan spent a few days last week in a late model familiarizing himself with the course to prepare for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
In his last three Sprint Cup Series starts at Infineon, Ragan finished 29th (2007), 24th (2008) and 33rd (2009).
Looking ahead, Ragan hopes he can improve over his last few finishes.
"We’ve had good cars the last week or two, but just don’t have the finishes to show for them," Ragan said. "Michigan was disappointing, but I’m ready to head to Sonoma. I went out there and tested last week so hopefully that will help. Plus I’ve got a lot of faith in [crew chief] Donnie [Wingo] at Sonoma; he’s had some success out there in the past. We had a good run going there last year, but got spun out at the end and didn’t have time to make up the lost track position. Track position is key, so hopefully this year we can maintain it and come home with a good finish in our UPS Ford."
Wingo agrees that track position is what matters most.
"I really like road course racing," Wingo said. "I feel like it’s not about strategy as much these days as before, but still comes down to track position at the end," Wingo said. "Seems like last year, as in years past, fresh tires at the end of the race were a huge benefit. Plus, double-file restarts should play a big part in how the race plays out."
Ragan last raced with the Infineon primary chassis (RK-627) at Watkins Glen in 2009, where he finished 24th.
The Concord Center (SLIC-9452) in the North California District was selected as the UPS Maximum Center for the June 20 race in Sonoma. It was also recognized as the Best-in-Class "Most Improved" center based on its achievements on the district’s rating system from January through May 2010.
