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Sprint Cup - David Ragan Scores First Career Sprint Cup Win At Daytona


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DAYTONA BEACH, July 3, 2011: David Ragan took the lead and held on for two green-white-checker finishes to score his first career Sprint Cup points’ victory at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday night’s wild Coke Zero 400 finish. Matt Kenseth, who pushed Ragan to the victory finished second. The two paired for the entire race, combining to lead 29 laps. The victory is Roush Fenway’s fifth Sprint Cup victory at Daytona International Speedway and the team’s fourth in the Coke Zero 400. The win gives Ford Motor Company the 2011 sweep at the "World Center of Racing."

“This is fun. There’s not a better place to do it than Daytona,” said Ragan in victory lane. “We delivered a win for UPS. I’ve been promising all those ‘UPSers’ for a couple of years and final got it in Daytona. It couldn’t be any better.

“I have to thank Matt Kenseth,” added Ragan. “We really worked well together tonight and he pushed me to the finish line. This is just awesome.”

For Roush Fenway it marks the organization’s fourth points’ win in the Sprint Cup Series this season; the team also hoisted the trophy in the Sprint All-Star Challenge and All-Star Showdown. For the season Ragan is the fifth Roush Fenway NASCAR driver to visit victory lane in 2011. Roush Fenway has now visited winner’s circle a total of 12 times during the 2011 season, including Nationwide wins.

Ragan, who made his 163rd career Cup start in the race, becomes the second Roush Fenway driver to score his first-career Cup win at the Daytona July race, joining Greg Biffle who won his first race at the famed track in 2003. He is the fifth Roush Fenway driver to win a Cup race at Daytona in the team’s 24-year history.