Put it on Ragan

Over the past week, a lot has changed for David Ragan.

After starting the season with another team, the Unadilla, Georgia native quickly found himself named the fill-in driver for the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) usually driven by Kyle Busch. But with Busch injured at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway the week prior, Ragan was thrust into a new role last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway – his home track.

With just a few days to prepare for Atlanta, Ragan did more than an admirable job given the unfortunate circumstances. He ran in the top-five for a portion of the race before handling woes pushed him back to a still-respectable 18th-place finish.

Now, with a hectic week behind them, Ragan, crew chief Adam Stevens and the entire M&M’s Crispy team are looking forward to settling back into a routine as they head to the West Coast for three consecutive weeks, starting with Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Even though Atlanta brought on the first test of the new 2015 rules package, which includes reduced horsepower and downforce, Las Vegas may be a more realistic litmus test to gauge where the M&M’s Crispy team stacks up against the rest of the competition.

Meanwhile, Ragan and the M&M’s Crispy team know he is still getting adjusted to new surroundings and a new way of doing things. He’s already shown patience in quickly getting up to speed with JGR, and Las Vegas certainly will be yet another building block.

Busch, a Las Vegas native and the regular driver of the No. 18, will be missed as the series heads to his hometown race, but Ragan’s goal is to keep moving the program forward so when Busch does return, the M&M’s Crispy Camry is primed to continue running up front.

In preparing for this year’s three-race Western Swing, the No. 18 team has confidence and will put it on Ragan, hoping the wheel stops at the front of the field as his learning curve continues in the right direction.

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