David Ragan will drive Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 Aaron’s
Dream Machine for the remainder of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, beginning
next weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Brian Vickers had planned to race the Toyota fulltime in 2015, but
heart surgery in December forced the Thomasville, N.C., native to miss the
first two races of the season. Vickers returned at Las Vegas on March 7, but
was sidelined two weeks later by recurring blood clots in his lungs. No
timetable has been set for his return.
Michael Waltrip, who drove the No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota in the Daytona
500, will compete this week at Talladega Superspeedway. Brett Moffitt owns six
starts in the No. 55 this year, with a career-best eighth-place finish at
Atlanta Motor Speedway in March.
Ragan is 19th in NASCAR Sprint Cup driver points earned
largely by racing the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing as the substitute for
the injured Kyle Busch.
“Life has thrown a lot at MWR the first part of this racing
season, but our team has stood tall and worked through it,” said Waltrip. “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.
“There is absolutely no question about Brian Vickers’ ability, but
there remains a question of his availability. 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.
“I’m really proud of the incredible job Brett Moffitt has done for
us in the 55. He has been a big part of this organization for the last couple
of years and he will continue in that role. With the limited number of starts
Brett has in this industry, he has proven that he has the talent to be a
full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and we are still committed to helping him
get that opportunity.”
The 29-year-old Ragan, who celebrates his 300th Sprint Cup start
at Talladega this weekend, said he eagerly awaits driving for his new team.
“The only way I can repay all the people I have to thank for
making this happen is to go out and win races and get MWR, Aaron’s and Toyota
in the Chase,” said the Unadilla, Ga., native. “It’s going to be awesome
knowing when I climb in the No. 55 at Kansas that car will be mine the rest of
the season. I look forward to working with Clint Bowyer, the crew and shop
employees at MWR. It’s tough what’s happened to them this year, but I hope I
can come in and make 2015 something special.”
Front
Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins, for whom Ragan drove at the start
of the 2015 campaign, said. "We are grateful to David Ragan for his
contributions to the growth of Front Row Motorsports and his commitment to our
partners over the past three years. He led us on our first trip to Victory
Lane, and that's a moment we'll never forget. We wish him the best with his new
team.
Roush
Fenway Racing driver Chris Buescher will drive FRM’s No. 34 Ford at Talladega
this weekend. The team is working on finalizing its driver line-up for the
remainder of the season.
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