Michael Waltrip Racing makes David Ragan move official
David Ragan’s move to the No. 55 of Michael Waltrip Racing is official.
The team announced the move Tuesday morning. Ragan will move from the No. 18 at Joe Gibbs Racing to the No. 55 at Kansas Speedway on May 9 and finish the year with the team. News of the possible move was first reported Friday.
“Life has thrown a lot at MWR the first part of this racing season, but our team has stood tall and worked through it,” Waltrip said in a statement. “Our original plans for the No. 55 team have been challenged since December and we felt it was important for our employees and our sponsors to solidify the remainder of the 2015 season. The opportunity to bring David Ragan into the team is incredible for a number of reasons. He will bring experience, consistency and a lot of confidence based on how he has been running with our Toyota teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. He also puts the No. 55 team and Aaron’s right back into the Chase for the Sprint Cup contention, which is a very positive turn of events for that team.”
Brian Vickers is the full-time driver of the No. 55 but he’s currently out because of a recurrence of blood clots. According to the team’s statement, there is no timeline for his return. Brett Moffitt has been filling in as the primary sub in the No. 55 and Waltrip will drive it on Sunday at Talladega.
“There is absolutely no question about Brian Vickers’ ability, but there remains a question of his availability,” Waltrip said. “We are going to remain very close with Brian while he works on his plan to return. We have told him that MWR is here when he has a clear picture about what the future holds, but we don’t need to add any timeline pressures. He is working with a lot of medical advisors and once he has established his plan, we will sit down and discuss next steps.”
Ragan, who entered 2015 as the primary driver of Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34, had been filling in for Kyle Busch in the No. 18 car after Busch was injured in a February crash.
His move away from the No. 18 presumably opens it up for Erik Jones a developmental driver for JGR. Jones, competing full-time in the Camping World Truck Series and part-time in the Xfinity Series, subbed for Denny Hamlin on short notice at Bristol.
Ragan is currently 19th in the points standings. He was 10th in the standings two weeks ago but has dropped nine spots after finishes of 41st and 23rd.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
