[simple simon]

i have come to find out something ..... that makes this past NASCAR season and some complaining i heard very hard for me to understand

(first let me note that i am not naming names or calling anyone out ... so please dont come at me with guns blazing if you feel this is directed at you)

i heard a few people this season complain, first about Montoya .. then about other open wheelers, coming to Cup with little to no experience

then today i happen upon this little tidbit of news:

David Ragan Wins Busch Rookie Title
David Ragan is the 2007 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Busch Series. Ragan edged Marcos Ambrose by 27 points (272-245) for the honor. Ragan finished the season with two poles, four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. His best finish of the season was a third-place effort in the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis (Millington, Tenn.) Motorsports Park (race no. 32). Ragan was fifth in the Busch Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos® Rookie
Insider Racing News ~ Your Online Nextel Cup Newsletter

now you may be wondering what that quote has to do with anything ....... well, im here to tell you just what it means to me

to me it means David Ragan never ran enough Busch races before this year to lose his rookie status .... and this year he ran Cup as a full-time driver ......... and yet i never heard anyone complain that Ragan didnt have enough seat time .... and that he didnt belong in a Cup race ... that it was too dangerous for him to be out there ....... all the things i heard people complain about with JPM and the other open wheelers

now im curious ........ why is that ?

(good gracious i cant wait to hear the explanations here )

[Phils20]

Can't give ya one! But, within the rules they have set up, I guess he deserves it. Ya never hear enough about the drivers in Busch, other than the full time Cup guys.

I would like to have seen Ambrose get it, but what do I know...

[LSC9901]

I won't call you completely wrong but check back through some of the live chats and see what some have said about his driving ability. He is/was nothing more than an accident looking for a place to happen. WHY you ask ..... not enough experience.

Another reason JP may have gotten more flack is because of his attitude.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

check back through some of the live chats

Lord knows im way to lazy for all that

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by simple simon

Lord knows im way to lazy for all that

Same here! I'll just take his word for it!

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by simple simon

Lord knows im way to lazy for all that

Originally Posted by Phils20

Same here! I'll just take his word for it!

and i agree JPM did catch heck for his attitude (and i dont begrudge anyone their feelings on that) .... but i know for sure Villeneuve and them caught heck for lack of experience ....... what the heck has Ragan ever done

and before Ragan supporters come after me ...... im not saying he doesnt deserve to be there .. but if he does, so do the others

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by simple simon

and i agree JPM did catch heck for his attitude (and i dont begrudge anyone their feelings on that) .... but i know for sure Villeneuve and them caught heck for lack of experience ....... what the heck has Ragan ever done

and before Ragan supporters come after me ...... im not saying he doesnt deserve to be there .. but if he does, so do the others

Ragan wrecked more cars this year than Hollywood! Seems he was in accidents more than JPM. I guess as long as you are humble about it, no one cares.

[Bob Tanner]

Go back to the final Martinsville race (I think it was) of 2006. I believe that race was the one where Tony Stewart, in relating his feelings about Ragan, coined the phrase, "A dart without feathers."

As to why people complained about Juablo and not Ragan...

Two very basic, but sad, reasons: (Boy! This is going to rub some folks the wrong way; so be it)
(1) He didn't come from a "traditional" (read: late model, short track) background.

(2) He's not an American and he speaks with a pronounced non-American accent.

If you'll remember his "attitude" was non-existent until around Las Vegas when the primadonna's tried to rough him up a little and he had the audacity to try and rough back. As I remember things, he was a model of humbleness with a "I'm just trying to learn," posture during his two ARCA races, his initial Cup run and Daytona of this past season.

I think Juablo's lack of popularity this season relates 75% to a matter of nationalism. While Montoya isn't a driver I dislike, I will state that I feel there is a lot to be said for national pride when shown by Americans.

[Racer Duck]

a little history on Ragan:

If you know what "Driver X" is, then you probably know David Ragan won the competition a few years ago. Just skip the next paragraph.

Driver X is a competition Jack Roush dreamed up to find deserving drivers to put into his driver development program. Basically, he gets a group of up coming drivers and puts them thru a competition where their driving skills are tested, but they are also tested for "marketability" and "camera presence". Roush uses crew chiefs, spotters, garage folk, his marketing people, and a few others to grade each contestant. over the period of a couple weeks they slowly weed out the field until an overall winner is found. naturally, it's filmed and broadcast on TV (don't remember which channel) as "Driver X".

The winner of the Driver X competition is put into a Craftsman Truck owned by Jack Rousch for a season to prove themselves. Based on how they do, they may get a Busch ride or stay in CTS. (there may also be an ARCA ride involved .. but I haven't noticed that part.)

A little over halfway thru his rookie season in CTS, Jack decided to put Ragan in a Busch ride. Though he's sucked at just about everything from the first go-round, Jack sticks by him and keeps moving him up. (Must be he has some dirt on Jack, 'cause I can't believe Jack actually thinks this kid is the best he can get!)

I doubt he would have been in Cup this year except that Mark Martin decided to move on which left Jack with an empty seat which opened the door even more for Ragan.

Another driver that competed in the Driver X competition and lost (though I thought he should have won) is Danny O'Quinn (CTS & Busch). Danny is built a lot like Buddy Baker, but is an excellent pilot. I think he's having problems this year because he's overdriving his equipment .. hasn't learned how to tell when he's gotten everything out of it that it's capable of .. when he does, he'll start getting good finishes and start moving up.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Another driver that competed in the Driver X competition and lost (though I thought he should have won) is Danny O'Quinn (CTS & Busch). Danny is built a lot like Buddy Baker, but is an excellent pilot. I think he's having problems this year because he's overdriving his equipment .. hasn't learned how to tell when he's gotten everything out of it that it's capable of .. when he does, he'll start getting good finishes and start moving up.

You and I agree once more, Duck. Danny doesn't fit the "munchkin mold" that the corporate world wants its drivers to fit into these days.

I think Ragan has all the earmarks of becoming another Joe Nemechek or Kenny Schrader; he'll be around NA__AR for awhile, be so-so competitive and then depart, leaving the type of impression left when you pull your arm out of a bucket of water.

[jks812]

I watched the show Driver X and I don't think Ragan was the best one in the bunch either. He has alot of accidents which is why I called him 2 wreck mininum. Seems like he would be involved in at least 2 wrecks almost every race.
I also don't agree that a driver should be going for ROY in both series at the same time.