Ragan Wins First NASCAR Nationwide Race At Talladega

And where did he come from?

Admittedly, I never noticed David Ragan back there behind Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr..  All I can say is that I was intently watching Newman and Jr..  I was waiting to see who was going to wreck who, or if they'll both be so defensive that they end up outside the top 5.

I've seen Dale Jr. try to make a last second pass at a plate track and watch it NOT work for him at all, so I sat apprehensively as those last 3 laps boiled down.

We listened during the final caution lap between his spotter and himself:

Spotter: "I know you know this, but the 33 is real strong by itself.  Just a little information for ya."
Dale Jr.: "He ain't leading the race for nuthing."
Spotter:  "Ya, 10-4, I gotchya."
Dale Jr.: "He just..., let me handle it.  Don't try and talk me out of nuthin."

Ah, the ever terse and delightful Dale Jr. under pressure.

When they took off, Dale Jr. pushed Newman hard, trying to put distance between them and the rest of the pack.  For one lap it looked like it was working but then the rest of the pack tightened up and it was the usual scatter pack coming for that much coveted win spot.

The last 1/4 lap, Jr. made his move and Newman blocked with his fender.  They both got just a bit out of wack and then from behind them, David Ragan charged through those two and took the win from Newman.

I'm not saying David Ragan is like the Intimidator, but damn, that pass from nowhere reminded me of Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s last win here at Talladega.

Congrats to David Ragan and the UPS Racing team.

Did anyone notice after the race during interviews, you can hear the winning team doing their "Wooos" for the photo ops?  On cue almost evey 90 seconds or so, Woo!.