CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Bojangles’ Southern 500 has become the red carpet of NASCAR. No one wants to show up on the worst dressed list.
David Ragan may have secured a spot on the best dressed for NASCAR’s most historic weekends and one of its oldest tracks. Ragan’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford will throw back to David Pearson’s 1969 Championship Ford Torino Cobra prepared by Holman-Moody. The title was Pearson’s third and final one in the premier series.
“When you think about Darlington, if you think about any driver you think about David Pearson right off the top. He’s from South Carolina,” Ragan said after the look was unveiled on Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “He was dominant at that place and the throwback weekend is honoring all of those people that made a big impact in our sport.”
Pearson notched 10 wins at Darlington Raceway and won the Southern 500 three times in his career.
Ragan’s paint scheme will feature Shriners Hospitals for Children, an organization that Ragan has been affiliated with since 2012. Pearson, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, was also a Shriner.
Being so closely tied to the Shriners gives Ragan some extra incentive to avoid the famous “Darlington stripe” and bring his No. 38 Ford Mustang home in one piece.
“Darlington is such a narrow track,” Ragan said. “You don’t have much wiggle room, you have to run right against the wall to make speed. You don’t have room to slip and slide and get loose and correct yourself. The wall finds you really quick.
“It’s a tough night but it’s very rewarding when you can have a good run at Darlington. You feel like you have earned it.”
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Courtesy: NASCAR.com
