Ragan holds charity event to benefit Shriners children

It should come as no surprise that David Ragan loves cars.

And although he keeps most of his focus on racing these days, away from the track Ragan spends much of his time with his family and enjoys supporting great causes like his official charity: Shriners Hospitals for Children -- a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs in a family centered environment at no charge. For more information, click here.

Race against Ragan

On Wednesday at NASCAR SpeedPark at Concord Mills, N.C., NASCAR fans will have the opportunity to meet and even race against David Ragan all to benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Between 6:30-7p.m., Ragan and NASCAR-licensed artist Sam Bass will be signing autographs from inside NASCAR SpeedPark. TV analyst Larry McReynolds also will be on location to sign as well from 6:30-6:45 p.m.

The event will kick-off with a silent auction, giving fans the opportunity to bid on numerous NASCAR-licensed autographed collectibles, sheet metal and other memorabilia.

From 7-8 p.m., "NASCAR Performance Live" will broadcast on-site with hosts Steve Post and McReynolds and featuring special guest Ragan as well as crew chiefs Greg Zipadelli and Mike Kelley.

At 7:45pm, Ragan will head out to the SpeedPark's Family 500 go-cart track where fans who would like to test their driving skills against him can purchase a ticket for $20.

For more information, call 704-979-2458 or visit www.nascarspeedpark.com.

"We've become a huge fan of what the Shriners Children's Hospitals do for children across America," Ragan said. "They really help a lot of children. They have a world-class operation.

"We're looking forward to interacting with the fans, racing go-carts and just having a fun evening, while raising some funds for a great cause."

Ragan, who grew up racing Legends cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway, earned his first NASCAR victory winning the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway last month.

Ragan, a 23-year-old from Unadilla, Ga., also has a different, albeit refreshingly old-school car collection on his hands.

"I'm a car guy and I like to work on things that are American made that my grandfathers may have driven way back when," Ragan explained.

Though he may not collect the most posh and pricey rides, Ragan's unique collection could never be accused of lacking flair -- and classic American steel. And when Ragan's not racing on the weekends, he's back in Concord, N.C., tooling around his personal shop and enjoying his car collection which includes the likes of a 1960 Mayberry-inspired Ford Fairlane, a 1940 Ford Coupe, a 1948 Army Willy's Jeep and a 1985 FMC Rushville, N.Y., fire truck.

"Restoration is what I enjoy doing in my spare time and I really like tinkering on old cars," Ragan said. "I get that from my dad."

That passion for restoring cars isn't the only gift that's been passed from father to son.

This past December, Ragan's dad, Ken, gave his son a Christmas/birthday gift that's become a crown jewel in Ragan's car collection: a 1938 UPS package delivery vehicle.

"It's a 1938 UPS package delivery car restored back to its original state and it's one of my very favorite vehicles in the collection," said Ragan, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing. "It's cool because it's a Ford and it's got the same colors as our brown No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion that I race on Sundays."

The vintage delivery vehicle was once used by Ragan's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series primary sponsor, United Parcel Service (UPS), in the state of Illinois during the 1940s and 50s.

With the assistance of family friend and Roush Fenway employee Tony Price, Ragan's father was able to track down the antique livery from a fellow car collector in Houston, Texas, who had restored it back to its original state.

"It's pretty rare to have a vintage package car in this nice of condition," Ragan said proudly. "It's not a typical body style, it's really one of a kind. We get out, ride in it every now and then and like to show it off."

And what about under-the-hood, you ask? Well, let's just say it doesn't quite produce the ponies that Ragan has become accustomed to on Sundays.

"It's a 3-speed and the flathead engine will make about 50 horsepower," Ragan grinned.

But what it lacks in horsepower, it certainly makes up for in nostalgia.

True to its era, the antique UPS package car has no modern amenities like a radio, air conditioning or even seat belts. The doors are made entirely out of wood and there's only one windshield wiper on the driver's side. Of course, there's no CD player or modern GPS navigation unit either.

Instead, what you get is a traditional piece of American history, an appreciation for the simple, slower-pace ways of the past.

"It's fun to see what the cars were like 70 years ago," Ragan said. "Cars in the 1930's were made to be simple because you had to work on them so often. It's neat to see the way vehicles have evolved over the generations."

Complete with hand-painted lettering, pin-stripping, and even a stenciled vintage UPS logo featuring the antiquated company motto "the delivery system for stores of quality since 1907," anyone can see why the 1938 UPS package delivery car is a gem of a hot rod to Ragan. He's lucky to have it as part of his collection.

"Typically, UPS package delivery vehicles are crushed and eliminated after their cycle is over and this was one that got through the system years ago," said Ragan. "It's real special. We'll take good care of it and it'll be something neat to talk about for many years to come."