There was just one practice session for the day before qualifying later in the afternoon, and during that one session, the UPS team was quick. David spent most of that session in the top eight, but when it came time to practice qualifying runs, his No. 6 Ford fell to the back of the pack. The story was the same when he went out second for qualifying, but the UPS team will do some work on Saturday to get some more speed into the car for Sunday’s season finale.

“I think the track lost a little grip,” said David after his qualifying run. “Speed-wise, I don’t think we’ve had a lot in qualifying trim and going out second did not help our cause any. I was happy with our UPS Ford when we unloaded in race trim. Hopefully, it’ll drive good tomorrow and we’ll see what kind of a race car it is for Sunday.”

Coverage for Sunday’s Ford 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.

The Estrella Center (SLIC – 8531) in the Desert Mountain District was selected as the Maximum Center for the race at Phoenix International Raceway. The center was recognized for its outstanding improvement across all major business elements on the district’s Balanced Scorecard.

Congratulations to all of the employees at the Estrella Center for a job well done.

David with the 8531 SLIC in Phoenix

Estrella Center Maximum Center Photos

DeMarco at work in the Roush Fenway shop

Mark DeMarco is the shop foreman for the No. 6 UPS team. Mark took some time after Phoenix to talk with UPS Racing about his job at Roush Fenway Racing.

How did you get into the sport?

In St. Louis, we did drag racing growing up. I took a break for a while and then in 1993, I attended a NASCAR Cup race in Darlington and became a fan for the first time. A few years later, I applied for a job and got back into racing.

What’s your favorite part about being on a NASCAR team?

I actually can say I like my job; I enjoy working on cars everyday.

What’s the coolest thing that you’ve gotten to do since being a member of the No. 6 team?

I got to go to New York in 2003 and 2004 when Roush Fenway Racing won championships for the first and second time.

What’s your normal “run of show” during the week?

Mondays and Tuesdays are always super crazy because the cars and everyone else is back from the previous race weekend. Wednesdays are dedicated to preparing the cars to be loaded for the next race and the rest of the week, I am still in the shop preparing for the following week. Then I watch the races on TV every weekend.

What is your favorite track?

My favorite track is Talladega. It always has been and probably always will be.

If you weren’t working in racing, what do you think you would be doing?

I would probably be a mechanic at an auto dealership like I used to be, or I would own my own shop by now.

Where did you grow up? St. Louis

What’s your favorite thing to do on an off-weekend? Panning for gold locally in NC

Favorite Movie: Star Trek Movies

Favorite TV Show: Flashback

Favorite cartoon as a kid: Road Runner

Favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni

Favorite place to eat? Outback

Favorite  music: Old School Rock and Roll

DeMarco helping on the BGCA car that ran in Texas

The team was making progress throughout the first part of the race, but after drivers began checking up in the middle of the field during the restart on lap 120, David had nowhere to go to avoid suffering damage to his UPS Ford Fusion. The UPS team made multiple repairs to the front of the No. 6, but David was only able to make his way up to 23rd position when the checkered flag flew.

“Restarts here at Phoenix are always kind of a mess,” said David after the race. “With the inside wall there, you just don’t have any place to go when other drivers check up on the front stretch. Everybody started checking up in the middle of the pack and we got into the back of the No. 12, and it was just a chain reaction. We were fortunate that we didn’t damage our car bad enough that we couldn’t finish, but we did have to make a couple of trips down pit road after that happened. After we lost our track position, there just weren’t enough cautions for us to get the Lucky Dog.”

David did begin to move up in the field as the race progressed, but on a short track like Phoenix, it’s tough to get your lap back and make a charge towards the front.

“I felt like our UPS Ford was better at the end than the beginning, but we just started too far off,” continued David. “We just didn’t have enough speed. As a whole, it looks like all of the Fords really struggled today. This has been one of our tougher tracks and I’m just glad to have Phoenix behind us.”

David and the UPS team will make their way to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the final race of the 2009 season next week. Coverage for the race begins at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.

David in Sunday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at PIR

For qualifying, David was the first driver to make his laps, but his UPS Ford didn’t really improve much from practice. The team will have two practice sessions on Saturday to get ready for Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil.

“Our qualifying run was a little bit of a pick-up from practice,” said David. “You know, we weren’t that great right off the truck, and we made a few adjustments, but it was just a small pick-up. We’ll work on our UPS Ford tomorrow so we can go race. We have a brand new setup in the car and we’ve still got some work to do, but we’ll get this thing figured out and ready for Sunday.”

Sunday will be David’s sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix. His best finish came in this race last season when he started 30th and finished in 10th. Earlier this year, the UPS team qualified 14th and finished 22nd.

Be sure to catch David and the UPS team during the race on Sunday. Coverage starts at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.

David during his qualifying run at Phoenix International Raceway

I wanted to check in real quick before heading out to Phoenix. We’re making a special visit to a UPS facility on Thursday to recognize the UPS Desert Mountain team as a leader in service. We’re going to spend a good amount of time there visiting with UPS employees and signing autographs and taking pictures. They are also going to take me on a tour of the place and then I’m going to help award a trophy to the center, so we’ll be sure to put some pictures up on the site from our visit.

We got back from Texas on Monday, and we’ve been really busy this week testing and then getting ready for Phoenix. We had a pretty decent car in Texas and everyone really liked our Boys and Girls Clubs paint design. A bunch of fans and people in the garage were telling our team how good our car looked. We qualified 17th and then finished 17th, so we didn’t lose any positions, but we just couldn’t get our car as good in the race as it was in practice.

It’s hard to believe the season is almost over and we only have two more races! While our season is full with so many races, it always seems to fly by. We’re just looking forward to having two solid runs these next two weeks in our UPS Ford to end the season on a strong note.

- David

Claude (L) and Jim (R) during pre-race

UPS employees Jim Marzolf and Claude Rigsby were selected to deliver the green flag at Texas Motor Speedway. As part of UPS’s official partnership with the Texas track, UPS has exclusive rights to deliver the green flag on race day.

Jim is a 23-year UPS employee  and delivery driver out of the Grapevine, Texas UPS center.

“I am a big racing fan so being out to deliver the green flag in Texas was great. Everything was just really exciting and the whole day was great. To get out on track before the race and get the VIP treatment all day was really special. We had like five guys at the track from my center, and they were just really psyched that we were able to deliver the green flag. The day was great and everyone treated us like royalty.”

Claude is a 29-year UPS employee that is heavily involved in the UPS Road Code program, and getting ready to retire at the beginning of next year. With the Road Code program and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America featured on the No. 6 for the weekend, it was only fitting Claude be a part of Sunday’s green flag delivery.

“I’m very thankful for being asked to do the green flag delivery in Texas. And with it being the Boys and Girls Clubs Road Code car design, it was extra special. I’ve really enjoyed my time working with the kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Dallas and teaching them about safe driving. It was really an really honor to have been out at the track to help deliver the flag. Being out there with the sounds and smells was great and we were trying to make it as enthusiastic as possible. I had a really good time and really enjoyed it.”

Sunday's green flag delivery

The UPS team in action on pit road in Texas

The UPS team pretty much broke even in Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway as they started and finished in 17th position.

After solid practice sessions throughout the entire weekend, David Ragan and the team were looking forward to an equally successful race on Sunday with their special UPS/Boys & Girls Clubs of America Ford Fusion.

For most of the race, David’s Ford was loose in the corners, so the UPS team made small adjustments during almost every pit stop of the race to tighten up the No. 6 Ford. The adjustments were working, but they were just not as aggressive as David needed them to be to get the car to grip in the corners.  

David went a lap down on lap 182, but he was able to maintain his position as the first car a lap down when the yellow flag came out on lap 207. As a result of his position, David was the recipient of the Lucky Dog Award and got his lap back when the race returned to green on lap 213.

With 50 laps remaining in the race, David again went down a lap behind the leaders. He battled to get back in position to be the Lucky Dog, but when he was able to get in that position, the caution didn’t came out when the team needed it to.

As the final 10 laps neared, multiple teams realized they would be short on fuel and cars began hitting pit road to get a splash of gas. The UPS team was going to be close on fuel, so Jimmy Fennig brought David into the pits with six laps remaining in the race. David made his way back out on the track and was able to cross the finish line under his own power. But, as a result of having to come into the pits and multiple cars running out of fuel on the final lap, David finished two laps behind the race winner.

“We just started way too loose today,” said David after the race. “We made some good adjustments all night long, but we just couldn’t make them fast enough. We tightened up our UPS Ford on almost every stop, but our adjustments were in small increments. We needed to make more of a big impact with our adjustments. Our car was better at the end than what we started with, and we played the pit strategy game the best we could at the end. We had to come in to pit for fuel which may have cost us a few spots, but we were okay with our car tonight.”

David and the UPS team head to Phoenix International Raceway for the second to last race of the season. The last time the UPS team raced in Phoenix, they started 14th and finished in 22nd position.

David and the No. 6 UPS/Boys & Girls Clubs of America Ford Fusion

David had a successful practice session on Friday afternoon, spending most of his time inside of the top 15, and ending the session in seventh position.

“Our Cup car drives really well and we picked up some speed in qualifying,” said David after making his qualifying run. “We just needed a few more one-hundredths to be up there in the top two or three. Our UPS Ford was very fast right off the truck and I think it’s got some pretty good speed. It was as good of a first practice as we’ve had all year, so that’s just a product of some things we’ve been working on to unload better and be more comfortable. It helps bringing the same tire back, so we’ve got some notes from the spring to work on. Anytime we can come back with the same car and the same style of tire, it just helps out.”

The last time the UPS team raced in Texas, they were running inside of the top five and were on their way to a top-five finish before debris got caught on the grill of the No. 6 and overheated the engine.

Sunday will mark David’s sixth start at the 1.5-mile Texas track, and coverage for the race begins at 3:15 Eastern Time on ABC.

The No. 6 UPS/Boys and Girls Clubs of America Ford Fusion

We got out here early on Thursday since the Nationwide Series had tech at the track. We all fly together, so all of the Cup guys had the day off on in Texas to have some fun. Some of us did have to work as David had two sponsor appearances on Thursday, but it looks like some of the No. 6 team hit the golf course. I’m not sure what the rest were up to, but the weather was beautiful for the first day of the race weekend.

Last week we were in Talladega, Alabama. That was such a stressful weekend because things happen so fast there and you never know who is going to get caught up in a wreck.  We survived right up until the end when David got bumped and took a trip through the grass. We still finished okay and actually moved up a spot in the point standings. 

We also got to have a little fun in Talladega. I’m not sure if you’ve heard stories about the infield there, but it’s crazy. The wildest fans go to Talladega and camp out for the whole week! A lot of the crew guys make an annual trip to ‘cruise the infield’ to see what’s going on inside of the largest tracks on the schedule. The Zac Brown Band played a free concert to anyone with an infield pass on Saturday night before the race. Of course it had rained all day Saturday, but it stopped by late afternoon. Event though the weather cleared, it was definitely a muddy mess. The concert was really good and David even stopped by for the start of it. He left early since he had to get up and race the next day. 

Now back to Texas. We’ve got a really cool car this weekend and everyone is excited to see it on track. We’ve gotten to visit some Boys and Girls Clubs of America locations this year on behalf of UPS, and those visits are always a lot of fun. Our paint scheme this weekend is cool with a lot of the BGCA kids’ handprints on the car. I even tried to match up my hands with theirs on the car, and I actually fit a few. I’m not sure if they’ve got some growing into their hands to do or if my hands are just small!

Well, that’s about it from here for now. Hopefully we get a good run this weekend to make up for last time. David had such a good run going in the spring, but debris got caught on the grill and overheated our car…bad luck. Here’s hoping it’s all behind us!

- Nancy

DALLAS, Nov. 5, 2009 – NASCAR driver David Ragan and the UPS (NYSE:UPS) team will have an extra 4.5 million fans cheering them this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway when Ragan gets behind the wheel of his No. 6 Ford Fusion, which will sport a new paint scheme that reflects UPS and Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) UPS Road Code safe driving program.

The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS, introduced a national program this year in collaboration with BGCA to teach the company’s industry-leading safe driving techniques to teens. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, but UPS and its world-renowned drivers are making an effort to change that with the help of BGCA and Ragan.

“UPS drivers are among the safest on the road. The Road Code program gives us the opportunity to use our nationally recognized safe driving training to directly impact a need in our communities and prevent teenage deaths,” said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation. “This special paint scheme captures our commitment to driving safety, starting with teens at local Boys & Girls Clubs, and sharing it with UPS NASCAR fans.”

The new car design for the Texas race incorporates BGCA’s logo, along with handprints from members of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas who are participating in the UPS Road Code program. The paint scheme was unveiled in a special trackside event featuring Ragan and these Club teens.

“Our entire race team is excited about the special Boys & Girls Clubs of America design we’re running this weekend,” said Ragan. “This is definitely a change from the normal look of our UPS car, and it’s always fun to give the fans something new to get excited about. This car is certainly going to stand out on track and hopefully help bring some awareness to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the UPS Road Code program.”

Ragan became a spokesperson for the UPS Road Code program this season, supporting the program through a series of video and audio public service announcements that are available online and have been broadcast on radio stations nationwide. He’s also been visiting some Boys & Girls Clubs near racing cities, speaking to the UPS Road Code teens about the importance of safe driving.

“Safety is a priority for me on and off the track, and being on the road is something that needs to be taken seriously,” continued David. “It’s easy to get distracted when you’re in the car, but you need to be really focused when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.”

 “We are extremely grateful to The UPS Foundation for bringing UPS Road Code to our teens, providing access to important safety training utilizing state-of-the-art simulators,” said Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “The paint scheme for David’s car is outstanding. It truly captures the essence of our Clubs, our kids, and our dedication to their safety.”

Teens, parents, and others interested in learning more about safe driving and UPS Road Code should visit www.ups.com/roadcode. And for regular updates on UPS Road Code, safe driving tips and other UPS news, sign up for the UPS Twitter channel at twitter.com/ups_news.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has helped kids “BE GREAT,” providing hope and opportunity for those who need it most.  Today, more than 4,300 clubs serve some 4.5 million young people through club membership and community outreach.  Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military bases worldwide, providing young people 6 to 18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff.  Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens.  Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration;

community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach.  In a recent Harris Survey of club alumni, 57 percent said the club saved their lives.  National headquarters are located in Atlanta, Ga.

About The UPS Foundation

Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation’s major areas of focus include community safety, nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability, and diversity.  The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact.  In 2008, The UPS Foundation directed more than $100 million in philanthropy to charitable organizations worldwide.  Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS’s community involvement.

The No. 6 UPS/Boys and Girls Clubs Ford Fusion

David with the 3204 SLIC at Talladega Superspeedway

Each week, the UPS ‘Maximum Center’ program recognizes a UPS operating facility or Freight Service Center for success in safety and service. Chosen facilities are recognized with its Standard Location Identification Code (SLIC) or Freight Service Center three-letter code on the wing of David Ragan’s No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion.

 

The Jacksonville South Center (SLIC – 3204) in the North Florida District was selected as the UPS Maximum Center for the race this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Out of the categories used to measure success, the center was the district’s top ranked group in eight sections.

Congratulations to all of the employees at the Jacksonville South Center for a job well done.

Jacksonville South Center Maximum Center Photos

This week is a very exciting week for UPS Racing and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). David Ragan and the UPS team will compete in the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway with a special BGCA design on the No. 6 Ford Fusion.

Earlier this season, the UPS Foundation and the BGCA launched a program together called Road Code. The program, which is run through BGCA locations throughout the country, teaches teens the importance of safe driving. With the help of UPS’s own drivers, and a few appearances by David Ragan himself, teens across the nation are learning what they can do to become safer drivers.

And while we can’t give away all of the details of the design just yet, check back to the site on Thursday when we’ll have photos of David unveiling the new look of  the No. 6 Ford with the help of some Dallas teens involved in the UPS Road Code program.

David will blog on-location from Texas Motor Speedway to keep you up to speed with all of the details of the car’s design, and about his plans to drive it into Victory Lane!

-UPS Racing

David racing through the field on Sunday

It almost looked as if the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was going to leave Talladega Superspeedway without the dreaded ‘big one’ happening, but the key word there is, almost.

David Ragan and the UPS team were able to stay out of most of the on-track incidents that happened on Sunday, and come away from the 2.5-mile Alabama track with a 17^th-place finish.

David didn’t have much to say on the radio during the race as far as how the car was handling, so pit stops for the UPS team were pretty much routine. Most stops were just for four tires and fuel, and the team only made minor adjustments to tighten the No. 6 up just a bit throughout the race.

The majority of the race saw the 43-car field racing single file, as NASCAR announced an hour before the race that bump drafting in the turns would not be tolerated. Teams also received smaller restrictor plates for the weekend to help slow down the cars and prevent them from going airborne after contact the way they did at Talladega earlier this season.

Once the laps began to wind down, David battled inside of the top 10, and made his way up to third position until there were eight laps left in the race. At that point, drivers began to change what lane they were driving in, so the draft switched and a good portion of the field flew by the lane David was racing in, pushing him down into the 20s.

With six laps to go, the race was red-flagged when Ryan Newman’s car flipped end-over-end in turn three. His car flipped onto its roof, but Newman was able to walk away from the accident without injury.

Once the race went back under yellow, the field was set for a green-white-checkered finish. But, because drivers were beginning to run out of fuel, NASCAR called off the green flag twice, forcing David into the pits to top his UPS Ford off with fuel. He made a very quick stop in the pits and was back inside of the top 20 when the race went back to green.

As the field was coming out of turn four on the final lap, multiple cars were sent spinning across the track. David was one of the cars caught up in that mess, and was sent spinning in the grass. He was able to avoid making contact with any other cars and crossed the finish line in 16^th position.

“Our UPS Ford was pretty fast, but we were just at the mercy of everyone around us,” said David after the race. “It was just kind of a terrible race today in general. There was a lot of single-file racing, and I know it’s exciting there at the end, but what happens is NASCAR slows these cars down. They’re too easy to drive and everyone just gets kind of crazy.  It’s a shame to tear up a lot of good race cars like that, but that’s restrictor plate racing. I’m glad we only have to do it three or four times a year.”

David and his teammate, Matt Kenseth, competed this weekend with the new Ford Racing FR9 engine for the first this season. Neither driver reported any issues and all seemed to go as planned with the engine’s debut.

“The new engine performed great, and we didn’t have any issues,” continued David. “We ran cool all day and had good power with great fuel mileage. It’ll be interesting to see when those guys get back to North Carolina. They’ll look at the valve train and the inside, but from where I was sitting it was pretty good.”

David and the UPS team head back to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend for the Dickies 500 on Sunday. Be sure to check back here later in the week for a special announcement about next weekend’s race.

Routine stop for the UPS crew

David on Friday during practice at Talladega

Rain came into the Talladega early on Saturday morning, and did not clear up in time for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to get through qualifying. So, because the session was cancelled, David Ragan and the UPS team will start 28^th on Sunday as the lineup for the Amp Energy 500 is based on owner’s points.

“We were really hoping to get out to qualify today and see how the new Ford engine would perform,” said David. “Yesterday we had two practice sessions and we were able to get some drafting practice in and also make our first laps on this track with the new engine. Our UPS Ford is really good on the superspeedways, so we’re looking forward to an exciting race here tomorrow.”

On Friday, David and the team had a little issue with the rear-end of the car, but the UPS crew was able to fix the issue and get David back out on the track for the final practice of the weekend. David was able to get some great laps in during last practice, ending the session in seventh position.

Coverage for Sunday’s Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will start at noon Eastern Time on ABC.

Sam at work during a UPS pit stop

Sam Gibson is the front tire carrier for the No. 6 UPS team. Before leaving for Talladega, Sam took some time to talk with UPS Racing about his job at Roush Fenway Racing.

How did you get into the sport?

I knew a friend working for a different team that got me a job in 2000. Five years later, I started at Roush with the No. 6 Truck. From there, I moved over to the No. 17 Nationwide team before moving up to the No. 6 Cup team.

What’s your favorite part about being on a NASCAR team?

My favorite part would probably be the traveling and getting to see different parts of the country.

What’s your normal “run of show” during the week?

During the week I work in the shop tearing down cars, building suspensions, puttin in motors, and have pit crew practice.  When I’m not working I enjoy just relaxing and hanging out and going to the movies.

What are your normal responsibilities once arriving to the track each weekend?

Once I get to the track, I prep the tires for the race, get them to the pit box, lay them all out, and clean them. After all my work is done, I help anyone else out that may need it.

What are you responsible for during the actual race?

I’m the front tire carrier

Anything significant about the upcoming weekend?

It’s a restrictor plate track where I a lot can happen fast, but David runs really well there.

If you weren’t working in racing, what do you think you would be doing?

I would probably be a chef at a restaurant or working at an auto dealership.

Where did you grow up?

Boone, NC

What’s your favorite thing to do on an off-weekend?

On off weekends, I go to the lake to go surfing.

Something interesting about yourself?

I enjoy yoga even though the guys make fun of me about it.

Favorite Movie: Any Vince Vaughn movie

Favorite TV Show: Californication

Favorite Cartoon as a Kid: Curious George

Favorite Pizza Toppings? Greek pizza

Favorite Place to Eat? Fusion Bowl

Favorite Music: Dave Matthews, Metallica, Korn, Chevelle

Sam during pre-race with the rest of the UPS team