Front Row Motorsports
enters its fourth year teaming with Gilliland, Ford and Roush Yates -
relationships that have brought stability and growth to the still-young team
entering its fifth full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. Race winner Ragan
joined the line-up for the 2012 season, helping the team earn its best average
finishes and the best year-end point rankings for the Nos. 34 and 38 entries in
Front Row history.
Ragan returns to FRM in 2013 |
The 2012 season saw
Ragan and Gilliland combine for one top-five, two top-10, four top-15 and eight
top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 27th. Ragan finished the
season 28th in the driver point standings and Gilliland ended the
season in 30th. The team continued to show its strength on superspeedways,
where Ford and Roush Yates power helped Ragan and Gilliland earn their best
results of the season. The 26-year-old Ragan will return to the cockpit of the
No. 34 entry and the 36-year-old Gilliland will once again pilot the No. 38.
Wise will return to the
No. 26 Ford for all 36 Sprint Cup races with sponsorship from MDS Transport
after completing the 2012 season in a part-time capacity with Front Row. The
team plans to increase the 29-year-old driver's time on track in 2013 with a
more competitive schedule of race entries.
"You often see a
lot of young teams going through a lot of changes trying to make it in the
Sprint Cup Series," Jenkins said. "We've been fortunate that we've
had a lot of stable partners, people who believe in our approach and are seeing
year-to-year improvements as a result of that approach.
Jay Guy will return as
crew chief for Ragan's No. 34 team and Derrick Finley will continue to lead
Gilliland's No. 38 crew. The drivers recognize and appreciate the importance of
continuity from year to year within the organization.
"There's always a
learning curve whenever something new is thrown into the mix, whether it's a
new driver, new crew chief, new car or new team members," Ragan said.
"We have a new Ford Fusion for 2013, which I'm really excited about, so it
will be really important and really helpful that all the other variables aren't
changing. My crew chief, Jay Guy, and I built a great working relationship last
year and that will help us be better this coming year."
"I'm excited to
start my fourth year with Front Row Motorsports," Gilliland said.
"We've gotten better each and every season and I'm eager to get the season
going with Derrick (Finley) again. Bob Jenkins has put a lot into this team
since he started with a part-time team back in '05. He's growing it the way he
should and the results are showing."
Front Row Motorsports
will be on track for the first time in the new Sprint Cup Series Ford Fusions
Jan. 10 to 12 when the team participates in Pre-Season Thunder, the annual
three-day test session at Daytona International Speedway to prepare for the
season-opening Daytona 500 in February.
The team is finalizing
sponsorship agreements for the 2013 season with announcements expected soon.
Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Everytime I get excited about Frontrow Motorsports news, I quickly realize it's not Furniture Row. Not that I'm not happy with good things for both, I just feel like Furniture Row is trying to move forward and Front Row has been happy to stay where they are.
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