With NASCAR driver Ryan Newman recovering after a crash during Monday’s continuation of the Daytona 500, fans are thinking about the remainder of the 2020 season. There are several races on the horizon, culminating in the November championship. It’s unlikely that Newman will be present for these events, so the fans are asking David Ragan to replace him.
The 34-year-old Ragan is no longer competing on a full-time basis in NASCAR, but he does take part in the occasional race. His schedule is fairly open, which led one fan to ask him about replacing Newman in an upcoming event.
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“The family and I have big plans on Saturday to stop by the local flea market. So I am out,” Ragan wrote in response to these questions. He made it very clear that he will be focusing on his family instead of taking part in many of the upcoming races.
This move became official on Aug. 14, 2019, when Ragan announced that he would be retiring from full-time racing. He wanted to focus on his family instead of thinking about racing all of the time.
Despite this retirement, Ragan was actually present for Monday’s Daytona 500. He drove the No. 36 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing and actually finished in fourth place overall. He wasn’t overly excited about the finish and expressed some frustrations about a massive wreck with 16 laps remaining in Monday’s race.
“That was the ugliest fourth-place finish I have ever had. I wasn’t disciplined enough in my strategy there with about 15 to go,” Ragan said, per NBC Sports. “I felt like things were getting a little hairy and we were 16th or 18th and that is no man’s land here at Daytona.
“I keyed the radio up going down the back straightaway and said I was going to back off a little. That is when they wrecked. I was pretty mad at myself for not seeing that earlier and getting that damage.”
The Daytona 500 is now complete, and Ragan is back to spending time with his family. He won’t be driving a Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway during any upcoming events in Las Vegas or any other cities. That includes the Boyd Gaming 300 on Saturday, Feb. 22, or the Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube on Feb. 23.
At this point in his life, Ragan prefers to be a loving husband and father. He will still race on a part-time basis, but he will not be stepping into Newman’s role in the near future.
Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
