UPS RACING

David Ragan and the UPS team were quick in race trim, but they struggled during qualifying at Homestead-Miami Speedway while preparing for Sunday’s Ford 400.

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.

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 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

David Ragan and the UPS team started Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway from the 33rd position, but were ready to fight their way up through the field at the one-mile Arizona track.

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