Ragan to represent Hall of Famer with '380 horsepower' hood

When the car takes to the track Oct. 26 for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup's seventh battle at Martinsville Speedway, the driving duties will fall instead to David Ragan, but the name of 2015 Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott will still adorn the top of the driver's door. The car was part of a double-unveil Tuesday in the stock-car shrine's Great Hall; Darrell Wallace Jr. will change his traditional No. 54 to 34 for the fall race weekend in Martinsville, where he is the defending winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
 
Though there were some subtle differences from the paint scheme on Ragan's 2014 Generation-6 model and the 1960s Chevrolet Impala tribute car carrying Scott's colors, many of the retro styling cues carried over. Ragan was among the team's biggest advocates for keeping the throwback look as authentic as possible, even down to the period-correct "380 horsepower" claim on the hood.
 
"Cars back then just looked a little different," Ragan said. "Maybe they didn't have the opportunities for the graphics and designs, and a lot of this stuff was hand-lettered back in the day. Definitely, an honor to represent and really to drive a car similar to what a Hall of Famer did."
 
The No. 34 has just three victories in NASCAR's premier series, but all have their place in the sport's history.
 
-- Kansas native Jim Roper campaigned the No. 34 on the Lincoln that won the inaugural event for the NASCAR Strictly Stock Division, now the Sprint Cup Series.
 
-- In 1963, Scott notched the first victory by an African-American driver in the top rung of the NASCAR ladder with the No. 34. That breakthrough stood as the only win by an African-American in a NASCAR national series until Wallace's triumph last fall at Martinsville, not far from Scott's hometown of Danville, Virginia.
 
-- Almost 50 years after Scott's lone victory, Ragan posted a thrilling upset at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2013 for a 1-2 sweep by the Front Row team and a first trip to Victory Lane for team owner Bob Jenkins.
 
Next month at Martinsville, Ragan hopes to make more history, but will need more horsepower than the 380 advertised. Ragan's team has faced challenges as a lesser-funded team competing against the sport's powerhouses. That gap was underscored last weekend as Ragan competed at Chicagoland Speedway as a Chase outsider.
 
Ragan said that changes to the 2014 rules package left the Front Row team playing catch-up against its better-heeled rivals, issues that the organization aims to address as it presses on.
 
"We have struggled a lot and have a lot of unanswered questions," Ragan said. "We're hoping that there's not a big change in the package going forward and we'll be able to continue to evolve."
 
If the going gets tougher, Ragan said he's not afraid to get some dirt under his fingernails. Reminded that Scott once exited the cockpit to change his own tires during a pit stop in the sport's formative years, Ragan said he wouldn't hesitate to apply the same old-school type of elbow grease if the need arose.
 
"I do have a mechanic in me, and I am certified to work on these cars a little bit, but I don't know that my crew chief will let me," Ragan cracked. "Hopefully our guys will be able to pick up the slack on the weekend and cover me, but if I had to -- if push came to shove -- I could get out and do a pit stop."

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