David Ragan's two Nextel Cup starts have come on two of the series' most difficult tracks. Credit: Autostock

Sure Ragan struggled, but he's not the only one

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Mark Martin can't figure out why NASCAR would tell David Ragan that he is too inexperienced to race this weekend at Atlanta.

I can't either.

As media members, it is extremely difficult to ascertain what drivers experience in the car, but I am 100 percent certain that it is easier for David Ragan to drive at Atlanta than drive at Martinsville, and yet, Ragan was cleared to drive Martinsville with apparent ease.

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Of course, it is a safety issue. NASCAR allows rookies to compete on short tracks because it is obviously safer to race at Bristol than it is at Atlanta.

Still, NASCAR acted as if Ragan has no speedway experience, even though Ragan has much more seat time on 1.5-mile tracks than A.J. Allmendinger, who apparently didn't experience the obstacles that Ragan had to go through.

Yes, David Ragan was supposed to simply log some laps on Sunday. A 495-lap effort without creating any waves would have done the trick, but Ragan is just 20 years old, and 20-year-olds want to mash the gas and turn left.

And Ragan did. He didn't hit the pace car, but he hit everything else.

Still, it shouldn't have been enough to keep Ragan from racing this weekend. He easily could have stayed out of the way at Atlanta, and had he done that, he would have been able to race at Texas.

As it is, Ragan might not race a Nextel Cup car until Phoenix. If he runs Phoenix without incident, he can race at Homestead.

"He will learn something from all this experience," Martin said. "I don't know why, I am not going to bash [NASCAR for not approving him], but I am surprised. David, unfortunately, ruffled quite a few feathers. Obviously, that wasn't necessary."

Still, Ragan's actions are hardly enough to remove him from running this weekend at Atlanta. He could have used the experience, but instead, he will be watching on TV even though he has plenty of quality laps on high-banked 1.5-mile tracks this season in the Truck Series.

"David has got to get his laps in, but he could have been a little bit more subdued," said Martin, whose defection to MB2 Motorsports gave Ragan a full-time shot in the No. 6 Ford next year.

Still, Martin refuses to throw Ragan completely under the bus, and neither does Carl Edwards. It would be calling the kettle black.

Virtually every driver knows what it is like to struggle at a short track at the Nextel Cup level.

"Good gracious, he has done nothing that a number of others [haven't done]," Martin said. "He certainly didn't do anything that would have warranted not being approved for this race."

Edwards knows what Ragan is going through. As a rookie at Martinsville in 2004, Edwards didn't know how to get around the difficult half-mile track, but he finished on the lead lap anyway. Ragan finished on the lead lap last Sunday despite involvement in at least three accidents.

"The first time I was at Martinsville, I couldn't get out of the way," said Edwards. "I suffered every penalty they had. I learned about penalties I didn't even know [existed]."

Edwards said that most of Ragan's problems stem from a lack of track time at particular tracks. Ragan has made two Nextel Cup starts -- one each at Dover and Martinsville -- and it is hard to come up with two tracks that are more demanding on the schedule.

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So much for easing a driver in. Ragan crashed twice in his debut at Dover, lasting just 46 laps.

"Me personally, think those are the two toughest ones we go to," Edwards said. "The fact that he just survived at Martinsville -- and listen, he was tore up about wrecking Kenny Schrader. He really was. He is a good person and a great driver, I think he will be all right.

"He is pretty cool with it and handling it pretty well. He will be all right."

Martin doesn't think the missed race at Atlanta will curb Ragan's development.

"So he misses one race," Martin said. "He is going to drive the 6 car next year and he is going to be fast, and he is going to do fabulous."