Ragan using Cup tests to learn ways of series

LAS VEGAS -- Just two months past his 21st birthday, David Ragan doesn't appear to be having any problems with this whole "giant leap to Nextel Cup" thing.

The first rookie in the No. 6 since Ernie Irvan drove a Chevrolet in 1987 -- the year before Mark Martin claimed the numeral -- Ragan acted more like a seasoned veteran Monday during Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Instead, it's the little things, like trying to get a balky window net attached, that seem to be the only way to keep Ragan from going fast.

Once he hit the track, Ragan showed why Jack Roush has such high hopes for the second-generation Cup driver -- Ragan's father, Ken, made 50 Cup starts between 1983 and 1990. Ragan had both of his cars solidly in the top half of the speed chart during the first session, with his best time only two-tenths of a second behind leader Scott Riggs.

"We'd always like to have just a little bit more speed but we're pretty good right off the truck," Ragan said. "We've got two cars that they've updated from last year and we're just getting some good baseline runs in and trying some different things.

"We haven't really gone out for pure speed yet, but so far, so good."

That could also sum up Ragan's foray into NASCAR's top-tier series. Understanding what it takes to go fast without tearing up a lot of equipment is critical to flattening out the learning curve. So far, Ragan is practicing what he preaches.

"Speed means a lot but you've got to know when to push it and when not to push it," Ragan said. "Certainly these tests, you have to push it close to the limit in order to get a good feel on the car and the adjustments that you make.

"So you have to go out and go as fast as you can but you don't want to cross that line maybe and take a chance you'd take, maybe in qualifying or the race."

Ragan has shown an amazing aptitude of racing right from his Bandolero debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway as an 11-year-old.

By 15, he was testing a Goody's Dash car for Cam Strader. Two years later, he was racing at Daytona in the ARCA Series and making his debuts in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

After winning a pole at Gateway and posting eight top-10 finishes in Roush's trucks last season, Roush decided Ragan was ready for a step up in competition.

Now it's up for Ragan to prove that was the right move. If his progress thus far is any indication, so far, so good.

"It's just the competition, the miles [as the big difference between Trucks and Cup]," Ragan said. "After the first couple of races, we'll feel like we're at home."