David Ragan certainly didn't take the easy route to his Nextel Cup career.

It started in September 2006 at Dover, where he qualified for his first Cup event, only to crash out 43 laps in and finish 42nd. Then a month later, there was another learning experience at Martinsville where Ragan finished on the lead lap but took some harsh criticism from Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart, who compared the then-21-year-old to a dart without feathers.

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David Ragan

Career Stats

	Cup	Busch	Truck
Races	7	13	29
Wins	0	0	0
T5	1	0	1
T10	1	0	8
Avg. St.	38.0	25.6	18.8
Avg. Fin.	26.3	28.1	20.1

"When I first heard that, I think my dad called me. I said, 'Man that's pretty cool, at least Tony Stewart knows who David Ragan is,'" Ragan said with a laugh. "Six months ago I was a kid wanting his autograph; now he knows who I am."

The rest of the NASCAR world knows who Ragan is as well.

The driver was handed the keys to the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion, where he finds himself replacing one of the most successful drivers in Nextel Cup history in Mark Martin. As if that wasn't enough, as a rookie he is compared to other rookies this season, a short list that contains an Indianapolis 500 winner in Juan Montoya. Wherever Ragan turns, he's being compared to champions, something the driver doesn't mind one bit.

"I think it has been tough," he said. "Jeff Gordon could get in the No. 6 and it would be tough to fill Mark Martin's shoes. Mark is a guy that's kind of irreplaceable.

"But that fits our style just fine. I don't mind being the guy, six, 10, 15 races into the year, everyone's been talking about Montoya, been talking about Mark, you look up in the standings, hopefully you'll see the No. 6 there in the top 15 or top 20."

The 2007 season started out with a bang for Ragan. He finished fifth in the Daytona 500, and followed that up with a 16th-place finish at California Speedway. He's hit a bit of wall recently though, with a 37th at Las Vegas, a 33rd at Atlanta and a 25th last weekend at Bristol, which saw the driver spin numerous times during the 500-lap race.

Through all of it, Ragan says he's getting the hang of Nextel Cup racing, and credits crew chief Jimmy Fennig with that.

"I'm continuing to feel more comfortable week in and week out," Ragan said. "I'm working with Jimmy better week in and week out. We'll sneak up on this thing. Fifteen, 20 races into the year when we pop up with a strong top-five run, possibly a pole, a win or something down the road, it will surprise everyone."

As a rookie in the Cup Series, Ragan will have to earn the respect of drivers like Stewart who will want to see if the youngster can handle himself on the track. But being with a team like Roush Fenway Racing, Ragan has the resources at his disposal to learn as much as possible.

"It helps to have some great teammates to lean on," Ragan said. "Matt Kenseth, I think he's probably one of the most respected guys in the garage. I think Matt is one of the best drivers out there. He's one of the smartest, definitely. He's been there, won championships.

"I talk to Carl [Edwards], too. He's running a lot of the Busch races. He and I can relate on a lot of things. Then Greg [Biffle] has come up through the Truck Series, the Busch Series somewhat like I have. I really try to talk to those guys a lot."

The Truck Series is where Ragan has seen most of his success. In two seasons -- one with Tim Eldridge and one with Jack Roush -- Ragan finished in the top 10 eight times, including a fifth-place finish at Kentucky in 2006. The transition from trucks to Cup cars is what Ragan is having the most difficulty with.

"One of my toughest challenges [has been] 500 miles versus 200 or 300. You have to go about things a little different," he said. "They've been preaching to me you don't have to drive as hard as you can for all 500 laps. You have to be in a comfort zone at times. You have to think about how to have your car handling at the end of the race versus the start of the race.

"Things like that have been a lot different for me moving up to the Cup Series. I feel that we're taking the right steps to get going. As a racer, I want to go as hard as I can. I'm probably scaled back to 90 or 95 percent right now. As I get more comfortable, know what I want, and as Jimmy understands what I need to go fast and still be able to take care of the racecar, we'll learn how each other feels about it."

For Ragan, right now it's all about learning a balance, when to be aggressive and when to lay back. Earning the respect of drivers is important, but Ragan won't consume himself with what others are saying about him. He just wants to go out, be competitive and try to win some races.

"I think the way you earn respect is go out, you don't have to let them by, you don't have to suck up to them, but race them hard, race them with respect," he said. "That's something I've really tried to do.

"I understand when you're 50 to go or maybe 100 laps to go, you're not as lenient as you are in the beginning. That will come with time. I feel that I'm trying to do a good job. I may be a little too conservative at times, giving people extra room.

"Time will tell. Right now I don't go around and ask other drivers what they think. Time will tell, but I think we're on the right track in getting a little more respect in the garage."