UPS RACING

 

 

David at UPS Freight

Hey race fans,

Well we had a good run last weekend in Talladega and we’re really excited to race in Richmond this weekend. Richmond is one of my favorite tracks. We got one of my first top 10s here in my rookie season and I’ve had some good finishes in the Nationwide car there too.

Richmond is a fun race for not just the drivers but also the fans to be able to kind of sit right on top of the action and really get to see a great race. And Saturday night races are a lot of fun for all of us and something we get a kick out of to race under the lights.

We’re running the UPS Freight colors on our car this weekend, and when we found out over a month ago that we were going to have a special paint scheme on the car, that certainly got everyone excited in our shop. To have UPS Freight silver colors on our Ford for the weekend is truly special. It’s awesome to represent all the employees across the U.S. that make UPS and UPS Freight what it is. We’re certainly excited to sport those colors this weekend. It means a lot to us.

We haven’t exactly had the season to date that we’ve wanted, but we’ve had a couple of engine failures and some bad luck so we’ve dug ourselves a hole. We made up a few points last weekend with a good run and stayed in the top 10 most of the race but didn’t get the finish we wanted.

Coming to Richmond, we’re really positive and there’s absolutely no reason that we can’t qualify in the top 10 and get the win with the UPS Freight car this weekend.

We’ll see you at the track.

-David

UPS UNVEILS NEW CAR DESIGN FOR RUSS FRIEDMAN 400

“Big Brown” Goes Gray with Special Paint Scheme To Promote UPS Freight

(ATLANTA, April 30, 2009) – NASCAR fans will see a different look for the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion this weekend when David Ragan hits the track at Richmond International Raceway for the Russ Friedman 400 presented by Crown Royal.

Taking a break from the traditional brown UPS paint scheme, Ragan’s car will feature a special UPS Freight design to promote the Richmond, Va.-based division of UPS.  The design incorporates the gray of UPS Freight with new brown and gold trim using a unique paint formula that includes crushed glass to make the vehicle sparkle.

UPS Freight offers a wide range of ground freight shipping options for customers who need to ship anything from a single oversized package to a heavy pallet or full truckload of freight across North America, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Everyone at UPS, and especially our Richmond facility employees, are thrilled to have UPS Freight featured on David Ragan’s car for this weekend’s race,” said UPS Freight President Jack Holmes.  “It’s very gratifying to have our employees recognized in such a prominent and unique way.”

To kick off the Richmond race weekend, Ragan will make a special appearance at the UPS Freight headquarters today to spend time with local UPS employees. UPS Freight employs nearly 2,000 people in the Richmond area and roughly 17,000 total around the country.

In addition to the special UPS Freight paint scheme, the UPS Freight Charlotte Service Center will be featured on the wing of Ragan’s No. 6 Ford as part of UPS’s “Maximum Center” program. UPS launched the program this year to recognize UPS operating facilities for accomplishments in service, safety and performance.

“It’s neat to mix things up a bit throughout the season; to have a different look with UPS Freight onboard the No. 6 car at Richmond will be fun for our entire UPS team,” said Ragan.  “There are many UPS Freight employees who are big racing fans, and I hope to thank them for their support by getting our UPS Freight Ford Fusion into Victory Lane this weekend.”

To view the new UPS Freight paint scheme for the No. 6 car, log on to racing.ups.com.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS (NYSE: UPS) is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain services.  Each day, the UPS pit crew of more than 425,000 dedicated employees delivers to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.  In 2009, UPS begins its 10^th year as the Official Express Delivery Company of NASCAR and its ninth consecutive year of primary sponsorship in the league’s top-ranked Sprint Cup Series.  To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

No. 6 UPS Freight Ford Fusion

Toby

Toby Whealdon is the spotter/mechanic for David Ragan and the No. 6 UPS team. Before heading out for the race in Richmond this weekend, Toby took some time to talk with UPS Racing about his job with Roush Fenway Racing.

Toby and the UPS team

How did you get into the sport? My first job in motorsports came at a local short track back home in Virginia, around 1990. I had been working with Roush Fenway Racing part-time for four years, but I am now in my second season as a full-time guy here at RFR. 

What’s your favorite part about being on a NASCAR team? Well, it’s definitely not the traveling! The actual racing is my favorite thing. I can’t describe how it feels to go a whole week with so many different things on your mind, and then showing up to a race and having all your problems go away and your adrenaline gets pumping, and for those few hours, there is nothing but the race to worry about. It is truly an amazing feeling to go racing. 

What’s the coolest thing that you’ve gotten to do since being a member of the No. 6 team? Well, I haven’t been with the No. 6 team too long but I’d have to say having my first job spotting for them at Daytona is pretty special to me.

What’s your normal “run of show” during the week? During the week I fulfill my role as mechanic.  This involves me working predominantly with the final assembly of the car.

What are your normal responsibilities once arriving to the track each weekend? One of the first things I must do, as spotter, is check and double-check our radios and the cables we use. Once I get my spotter duties completed I try and help out with the car in any way I’m needed. I am a very busy person when we’re trackside because I spot for two teams. Our UPS car and also the No. 6 in the Nationwide Series.

What are you responsible for during the actual race?  The most important thing I do is keep the driver and car safe. You could say I’m ‘the eye in the sky’; I try to pass on any information that could be helpful. Like giving updates and making sure the guys know when pits are coming up.

If you weren’t working in racing, what do you think you would be doing? I would be a mechanic for a dealership somewhere.

Where did you grow up? Virginia Beach, VA.

What’s your favorite thing to do on an off-weekend?  Without a doubt, spending time with my family takes priority on any off-weekend. 

Something interesting about yourself? I love to go fishing.

Movie:  Wedding Crashers, Something About Mary…anything that will bring a laugh.

TV Show: King of Queens, Two and a Half men

Cartoon as a kid: Smurfs

Pizza toppings? My favorite is garlic chicken pizza.

Place to eat? I love Sushi.

Music: (band, song, genre, whatever they want to share) Country and Rock. I listen to a lot of Gary Allen, I think he is probably the best o ut there right now.

Donna Barrett, Public Relations Manager at UPS, is a Guest Blogger shedding some light onto UPS Freight.

The No. 6 Ford Fusion is going gray for Richmond.

NASCAR fans everywhere know Richmond, VA is home to the Richmond International Raceway. But did you know that Richmond is also home to UPS Freight – the “big truck” and “big load” arm of UPS?

This week David is in Richmond for The Russ Friedman 400 on May 2, and to celebrate the No. 6 Ford Fusion is getting a new look.

Created just for this week’s race, this special edition UPS Freight paint scheme features the gray of UPS Freight with new gold and brown racing stripes. And to make sure the car looks even better when it’s running under the lights Saturday night, the gray paint is mixed with crushed glass that makes it sparkle.

It’s a new look for the No. 6 Ford Fusion but we think UPS Freight is worth celebrating. With more than 215 locations, UPS Freight is busy delivering the heavy stuff throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Full truckload or less than truckload – UPS Freight handles it all. Check it out at ltl.upsfreight.com/bestchoice.

If David ever wanted to drive a big rig for UPS, he’d have his pick of more than 6,300 trucks! Think a coast-to-coast run pulling a trailer would challenge David? No way!

Check out the gray paint sheme from all angles

Birmingham Central Center, Alabama District

David with Birmingham Central Center

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. 

This past weekend in Talladega, the Birmingham Central Center was featured on David’s car. This Center was chosen because of its high scores for the month of March on the Alabama District Center Balanced Scorecard. Additionally, the Birmingham Central Center has ranked number one on the scorecard each month this year.  

The center team kicked off 2009 with a renewed commitment to safety and service; truly placing safety as a personal value and settling for nothing less than perfect service.

Continuous focus on safety and service resulted in significant jumps in the center’s scores and communication between the dispatch team, drivers, and pre-loaders have quickly resulted in an effective and balanced dispatch. 

Birmingham Central Center Photos

This past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Gay Lee was on of the UPS Track Services workers. She took some time out of her busy schedule on race day to talk with UPS Racing about what she does both at and away from the track.

I have been with UPS for 25 years and I work in the Alabama District Office as a Regulated Goods Coordinator. Part of my job is training people to audit hazardous material packages when they come in to make sure they are marked right and have been packaged correctly and make sure all goods have been properly taken care of.

Gay Lee at Talladega Superspeedway

When I first started with UPS, I spent nine years in accounting. I also worked in customer service and the call center. I really enjoy working for UPS because they are good people to work for.

I’ve been working the UPS Trackside Services program for about 10 years and I really like to come out because there is a lot of camaraderie in the garage and everyone is definitely happy to see us doing our job out here at the track.

When I’m not working I like to knit and sew and also spend time with my three grandchildren. 

It was a typical Talladega race day on Sunday as multiple ‘big ones’ plagued the Aaron’s 499. And since there were more than one crash that collected multiple cars, it was a good thing David Ragan had his No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion either leading the way or towards the front of the field when the carnage broke out on the track.

David at 'Dega

David started the race in 10^th and crossed the finish line in 12^th, which by all means is a great finish when just making it to the finish in one piece is a major feat in itself.

And while finishing 12^th is a better result than David’s had over the past couple of races, he still thought if he had been running a little bit different line at the end, he could have had a better finish.

“Finishing 12^th was a good finish for us, but certainly not where we could have finished,” said David after the race. “I feel like we had a top-five to top-10 race car, it’s just the situations didn’t work out for us at the end. Everyone was getting pretty aggressive at the end, but I feel like we just kind of got in the wrong line there on the white-flag lap and some of the other guys teamed up on us a little bit. We’ve just got to keep working to get ourselves back into the top five.”

David’s finish in Sunday’s race bumps him up four spots in the points from 30^th to 26^th.  It was a good day for points, but there is still a lot of work to do for the UPS team to get back up into the top half of the point standings.

“Just to be up front a majority of the race felt good,” said David. “Our UPS Ford has been strong all year, so I was glad that we didn’t have anything happen at the end that took us away from a top-15 finish. It was good to be running at the end but we just have to keep whittling away one race at a time and get ourselves back up into the top 12 in points.”

David and his team will head to Richmond International Raceway next weekend for the second Saturday-night race of the season.

After not making any qualifying runs during practice sessions on Friday, David Ragan put his No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion in 10^th-place for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.  

No. 6 UPS Team

“We obviously did all race runs in practice,” said David. “We came down to get our Ford to handle and be fast in the pack, so we didn’t really know what to expect for qualifying, but I’m pleased with that and we’re happy to see some of our other teammates in the top 10 as well.”  

Because this weekend is an impound race, the series had two practices on Friday and only qualifying today. During first practice, David and the UPS team weren’t the quickest in the bunch and ended that session in 30^th. The team spent some time between the only two practices of the weekend to make some adjustments on the No. 6 car. Those adjustments seemed to do the trick as they spent the entire final practice session inside of the top 10 and finished up in 8^th place.

David ran really well in Talladega last year, posting third and fourth-place finishes. Those track stats combined with solid practice and qualifying sessions this weekend has the entire UPS team ready for a strong showing in tomorrow’s race.

“Every race for our UPS team is an opportunity win,” said David. “We feel like our team is as strong as any team at any of the tracks from short to big and everything in the middle if we’re on our game. We just haven’t been on top of things with our race cars and with the speed on the race track, so going to Richmond and going to Darlington, we have the same confidence we have here at Talladega. Up to this date, we haven’t performed like we should have, but this is absolutely a race we can win. We’ve just got to stay focused and take care of our UPS team and hopefully be around at the end.”

Tomorrow will be David’s fifth time competing at the Alabama superspeedway in the Cup Series where in total he has two top-five and two top-10 finishes.

Hi Everyone!

It’s that time of year again – All-Star time!

Voting for the All-Star race runs through May 16^th so visit http://www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/ and vote for David!

David at Work

Thank you for the support!

Nancy is the Account Manager for the No. 6 UPS Racing team at Roush Fenway Racing.

Hi Everyone, 

Warning signs while hiking

NASCAR changed up the track schedule for Phoenix and both series (Nationwide and Cup) had tech the Thursday afternoon before the race, so we all wound up out in Phoenix early. The team had to go to the track, so I went with a few other people and went hiking.  It was really cool, but also kind of scary. There were lots of signs warning about poisonous snakes, scorpions and to beware of mountain lions. Luckily the only snake we saw was a baby one (nothing rattled) and it seemed more scared of us, so it slithered away quickly. David was jealous and wanted to go hiking, but he had some things to do since Phoenix is Discount Tire’s headquarters.  

Hiking in Phoenix

Tuesday David was at Road Atlanta testing with our R&D team. It was just him and our Truck Series driver Colin Braun. Road courses haven’t been David’s strongest point the past two seasons, so anytime he can get some practice he jumps at the opportunity. 

Talladega should be a good weekend for us. When asked, David will tell you his favorite tracks are short tracks, but if you look at his stats you’ll see he’s pretty strong at restrictor-plate racing. He finished in the top five in both races at Talladega last year.  It’s a stressful race to watch, you just never know what will happen and things happen fast there. His poor Mom gets really nervous at superspeedways like this. She’s usually pretty calm at most tracks, but these wear you out. They are packed so tightly and if one person messes up you know it’s going to affect a lot of people. 

So I tried to go get some goat photos to share with you guys, but Oliver (a beagle) was hanging out in the field with them and the goats aren’t big fans of Oliver. They decided to run off and hide in the trees. But Pedro came over to say hi! Pedro is David’s miniature donkey. So here’s Pedro for now and goat pictures will come another week. One is pregnant, hopefully she’ll have the baby soon and I can get some good photos of that.

Nancy and Pedro

Pedro smiling

Pedro!