​Ragan on Darlington"I’m a huge fan of the throwback weekend. I think that was a great idea that they had several years ago. What better track to do it than Darlington. Darlington has a ton of history in our sport, dating all the way to the first Southern 500s. It’s still a tough, grueling race. You have to race the racetrack and have a lot of respect for that place. But, to be able to honor some of our sport’s heroes, some of the men and women who made our sport what it is today, I think it’s neat what we do at Darlington.

"We're honoring one of my early racing heroes, Dale Jarrett, with our CITGARD 700 Ford. I was just a little kid, but I remember watching D.J. win his first Cup race in that CITGO Ford Thunderbird. My dad was a fan of the Fords and of the Wood Brothers, so I followed his lead and became a fan, too. I'm really proud to drive this great-looking car as a tribute.

“The racing at Darlington is a little bit of a throwback. You just have to survive that race. At some of these other tracks, it’s almost a walk in the park to run 500 miles, and it’s really not a test on our equipment or engines and even the driver’s patience like it used to be. It was a big accomplishment 20 or 30 years ago to even finish a 500-mile race. But Darlington is very hard on equipment, it’s fast, it’s hard to handle mentally. Physically it’s tough because it’s hot. It is a tough weekend. So, if we could have any weekend that’s a throwback for a lot of different reasons, I think Darlington fits for all of them.”

Ragan Darlington Stats
11 starts, 1 top-5, 1 top-10, 2 top-15s
Best finish: 5th

Meet David
Sunday, Sept. 2, 2:30pm - Ford Performance display (Darlington Raceway Fan Zone)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 24, 2018) – Front Row Motorsports and David Ragan will have a new partner joining them for the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. ‘Fusion,’ powered by GD2 Global, will be an associate sponsor on board Ragan's Dale Jarrett-inspired No. 38 CITGARD 700 Ford.

GD2 provides innovative technology services and solutions to support event planning and operational delivery at premier sporting events all around the world. Currently in the final stages of development, GD2’s upcoming 'Fusion' application, which by no coincidence is featured on Ragan’s CITGARD 700 Ford 'Fusion,' will focus on accelerating event technology to the next level through innovation and integration specific to areas of Transportation, Parking, Ticketing, Credentialing, Safety and Security, all designed to improve venue operations as well as the fan ‘Home-to-Seat’ experience.

"Darlington is going to be a great race for me and for Front Row Motorsports," said Ragan. "With it being 'throwback weekend,' there'll be a lot of eyes on this race. It's the perfect weekend to debut GD2, a great company with new technology to bring to the sport."

"The throwback weekend at Darlington is the perfect opportunity to start to build awareness of our 'Fusion' application," said Tony Vitrano, managing partner of GD2 Global. "'Fusion' is being designed to support event planning and venue operations for major sporting events all over the world. NASCAR races rank among the largest sporting events in the U.S. and are perfect for our new technology. We're very excited to be on board David Ragan's Dale Jarrett throwback car this weekend."

Overseeing the partnership is Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises. "We are very excited to see GD2 Global's 'Fusion' technology partnering with Front Row Motorsports and David Ragan," said CEO Doug Fritz. "Their 'Fusion' application will be a perfect fit for motorsports, and I'm looking forward to seeing them grow within the sport."

The CITGARD 700 Ford will first hit the track at Darlington Raceway on Friday, Aug. 31, when the throwback weekend kicks off with Cup series practice sessions. The Bojangles’ Southern 500 airs Sunday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network.

About ‘Fusion,’ Powered by GD2 Global: 
GD2 Global is a US based organization providing leading technology services and solutions to the world’s premier sporting events. GD2, along with their ‘Fusion’ application, provide products and services to support the planning and operational delivery or major events, including Transportation, Parking, Ticketing, Credentialing, Access Control, Safety and Security. Their GD2 products and services including the 'Fusion' application, are designed to improve both Venue Operations and the Fan ‘Home-to-Seat’ Experience. Their GD2 leadership team has first-hand experience in delivering major international events including Summer & Winter Olympic Games, NFL Super Bowl, Department of Defense Warrior Games as well as NASCAR racing. For more information visit www.gd2global.com, or contact info@gd2global.com.

About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports is a winning organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the premier division of NASCAR competition. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by Tennessean Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries, the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of David Ragan, from its Statesville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. The team's partnership base includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love's Travel Stops, K-LOVE Radio, 1000Bulbs.com and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on Twitter at @Team_FRM and on Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

About Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises:
Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises is a sports marketing and event management business specializing in sports and event sponsorship marketing and activation, brand development, as well as event management.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 23, 2018) – David Ragan and CITGARD® 700 will turn back the clock to NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett’s first Cup series win for the upcoming “Throwback Weekend” at Darlington Raceway. 

Ragan’s Ford Fusion paint scheme for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 will pay tribute to the Ford Thunderbird that Jarrett drove to victory after a closing-laps battle with Davey Allison at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 18, 1991. Ragan, Jarrett, and David Ratliff, representing the CITGARD brand, unveiled the No. 38 CITGARD 700 Ford throwback design Thursday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Jarrett drove the red and white car, sponsored by CITGO® Petroleum Corporation, for Wood Brothers Racing during the 1990 and 1991 seasons. The 1991 win came after a multi-lap, door-banging battle with Allison that ended in a photo finish and sent Jarrett to Victory Lane for the first time. Ragan, who was six years old at the time, remembers the race and the paint scheme.

“Dale Jarrett was a hero of mine growing up,” Ragan recalled. “I have an old photo of me as a little kid holding a hero card of Dale and the CITGO car, and I remember watching that race with my dad and seeing him win. We were both fans of Dale and the Wood Brothers especially, so this is a great opportunity to honor Dale and his Hall of Fame career.”

The historical, storytelling theme of the Darlington weekend was the perfect time for CITGO to make a return to the sport, this time with the CITGARD brand.

“This is really an exciting partnership for CITGARD 700 to join with David Ragan and Front Row Motorsports for this throwback weekend at Darlington,” said Ratliff, national sales manager of CITGO lubricants. “We’re really proud of the CITGARD brand and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this historic weekend to celebrate NASCAR and its legendary history.”

After that first victory, Jarrett went on to record 32 wins, including three Daytona 500s, and earned the Cup championship in 1999. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014. The North Carolina native is now a commentator for NBC Sports and will be in the television booth for the Darlington race when the CITGARD 700 Ford is on track.

“That was really the moment, the day, the race that really set my career off,” recalled Jarrett. “It showed a lot of people that thought, but weren’t sure, that I could do it. The opportunity to get the win with CITGO and the Wood Brothers was great. 

“I look forward to reliving that moment at Darlington,” Jarrett continued. “To be able to be on the air and tell others about that day that maybe aren’t familiar with how much it means it to me, I look forward to that.”

Overseeing the partnership is Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises. 

"We are honored to be part of bringing a major new brand into the sport of NASCAR and facilitating the return of an iconic company with a long and rich history in motorsports," said CEO Doug Fritz. "We want to say a special thank you to Dale Jarrett and (emcee) Winston Kelley for being part of today's announcement."

The CITGARD 700 Ford will first hit the track at Darlington Raceway on Friday, Aug. 31, when the throwback weekend kicks off with Cup series practice sessions. The Bojangles’ Southern 500 airs Sunday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network.

About CITGARD 700:
CITGARD 700 Synthetic Blend Engine Oils deliver the performance needed for newer engine designs while improving performance in older engines. Engineered with proprietary additive technology that protects engines running at higher operating temperatures and higher fuel injection pressures, while meeting tighter wear limits and lower emission requirements. CITGARD 700 is a new generation of engine oils that support the Phase II fuel efficiency standards which are driving the need for even more fuel efficient heavy duty engine oils combined with excellent wear protection and engine durability.  

About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports is a winning organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the premier division of NASCAR competition. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by Tennessean Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries, the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of David Ragan, from its Statesville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. The team's partnership base includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love's Travel Stops, K-LOVE Radio, 1000Bulbs.com and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on Twitter at @Team_FRM and on Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

About Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises:
Fritz Sports & Event Enterprises is a sports marketing and event management business specializing in sports and event sponsorship marketing and activation, brand development, as well as event management.
 
###

Contact:
Shari Spiewak
Front Row Motorsports
office: 704-873-6445 x215
cell: 704-200-1779
sspiewak@frontrowmotorsports.com

 

​No. 38 Shriners Hospitals for Children Ford
Started: 15th | Finished: 17th
"I was disappointed when we got spun and went a couple laps down. Bristol is a tough race and you really have to have 500 really clean laps. We had one mistake early and lost a couple of laps. We were fortunate to get back one lap down, and our team did a nice job making adjustments. I feel like we had a top-12 to -15 car, but a top-20 finish. We learned a few things and it was a good night for us. It was a lot of fun representing the Shriners on the car."

STATESVILLE, NC (August 15, 2018) – This weekend, Shriners Hospitals for Children® will be the primary partner of David Ragan and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports’ (FRM) team at the Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be the third and final time the Shriners Hospitals for Children colors will run on the No. 38 Ford Fusion. The weekend will celebrate one special patient.

Ragan and the team will host five-year-old Wyatt Banks, a patient of Shriners Hospitals for Children - Greenville, South Carolina, Saturday at the track. Banks was paralyzed overnight at seven-months-old by a rare neurological disorder that causes inflammation of the spinal cord, resulting in damage to the insulating material covering the nerve cell fibers. Transverse myelitis strikes only 1,400 people in the United States and can be fatal. Banks has been treated at the Greenville Shriners Hospital and is living life to its fullest today.  

Ragan, who has a close relationship with the health care system, will visit Banks, other patients and staff at the Greenville Shriners Hospital on Wednesday during a community-wide event. The Banks family will then be guests at the track, with FRM giving them once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as a tour of the NASCAR Cup Series garage, a pace car ride, attending the drivers’ meeting and watching Saturday night’s race from a luxury suite.  

Ragan has been a member of Shriners International since 2012 and serves as its NASCAR ambassador. He visits Shriners Hospitals during the race season and raises awareness and funds for Shriners Hospitals for Children through various campaigns, public service announcements, donations and activities. 

“This continues to be a great partnership for everyone,” said Ragan. “We enjoy hosting the patients and their families and I think it’s important to spend time at the Hospitals, too. Each time I visit a Shriners Hospital, it’s a wonderful experience. We show them my race helmet, and the patients like to try it on, and it makes them laugh or smile. That’s what we are trying to do – to bring awareness to the amazing things these hospitals do and make the patients feel good. I’m looking forward to seeing Wyatt this week and having a good race for the Shriners.”

Shriners Hospitals for Children provides specialized care to children with orthopaedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, burns and cleft lip and palate regardless of the families’ ability to pay.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children:
Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Our 22 locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Learn more at shrinershospitalsforchildren.org. 

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. 


About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports is a winning organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the premier division of NASCAR competition. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by Tennessean Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries, the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of David Ragan, from its Statesville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. The team's partnership base includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love's Travel Stops, K-LOVE Radio, 1000Bulbs.com and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on Twitter at @Team_FRM and on Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
 
###

Contact:
Shari Spiewak
Front Row Motorsports
office: 704-873-6445 x215
cell: 704-200-1779
sspiewak@frontrowmotorsports.com

No. 38 Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford
Started: 24th | Finished: 27th
"We had a vibration, maybe a loose wheel, with 30 or 40 to go. So, I think we were forced to pit a little earlier than we wanted to. I felt like we made our Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford a little faster in the middle of the race, and we were able to stay on the lead lap and run in the low 20s. But as the sun popped back out, we didn't have the same speed at the end."

​​STATESVILLE, N.C. (August 7, 2018) – Front Row Motorsports will introduce another new partner to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, announcing Trident Seafoods as the primary sponsor of David Ragan’s No. 38 Ford for upcoming races at Michigan International Speedway and ISM Raceway (Phoenix, Ariz.). 

The company’s Louis Kemp Crab Delights will be featured on the No. 38 for Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at the Brooklyn, Mich., track. The Nov. 11 Phoenix race will showcase Trident Seafoods’ brand and the Wild Alaska Pollock species.

Trident Seafoods was founded more than 40 years ago by Chuck Bundrant, who left his Tennessee home at age 19 to learn about fishing and crabbing in Alaska. Today the family-owned and operated company is the largest vertically integrated seafood company in North America, involved at every stage from catch to plate.

“We’re always happy to bring new partners into the sport, and we’re especially proud to partner with Trident Seafoods,” Ragan said. “They’re a family-owned company with family values, born from one man’s dream, and that’s something we can relate to at Front Row Motorsports. We’ve worked on some cool paint schemes for these two cars, and we can’t wait to get them on track.”

“This sponsorship allows Trident Seafoods to boost brand awareness of our Trident Seafoods and Louis Kemp Crab Delights product lines with a focus on the Wild Alaska Pollock species,” said Mike Campanile, senior marketing manager at Trident Seafoods. “NASCAR has an extremely loyal fanbase, and marketing directly to this consumer base not only supports our many retailer customers but also aligns with our mission of encouraging more consumers to eat more Wild Alaska Pollock more often in more places.” 

The No. 38 Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford will be on track at Michigan International Speedway throughout the upcoming weekend, with the Consumers Energy 400 scheduled to air on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network.

To learn more about Trident Seafoods’ products, visit tridentseafoods.com and louiskemp.com. Follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/TridentSeafoodsCorporation and facebook.com/LouisKempCrabDelights, and on Instagram at instagram.com/tridentseafoods and instagram.com/LouisKempCrabDelights.


About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports is a winning organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the premier division of NASCAR competition. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by Tennessean Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries, the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of David Ragan, from its Statesville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. The team's partnership base includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love's Travel Stops, K-LOVE Radio, 1000Bulbs.com and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on Twitter at @Team_FRM and on Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
   

​No. 38 Bad Boy Mowers Ford
Started: 25th | Finished: 26th
"We got behind early. I wheel-hopped getting into Turn 1, and tried to stay off the back of the No. 17 and got spun. That put us behind. But we were able to get back on the lead lap. We just didn't have the speed because of the damage we had to our Bad Boy Mowers Ford. We needed some cautions there at the end to try to get a better finish."