KFC will be on the No. 34 Ford in the Daytona 500
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Front Row Motorsports announced Friday that David Ragan will return to its No. 34 Ford team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with sponsorship from KFC for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 22 (1 p.m. ET, FOX).
Ragan -- entering his fourth year with team owner Bob Jenkins and his ninth full season at NASCAR's top level -- is a two-time Sprint Cup winner, including a victory in July 2011 at Daytona International Speedway. Nearly two years later, he gave Front Row its only premier series win at Talladega Superspeedway.
That success prompted a one-race deal with KFC last May at Talladega, a pairing that will be renewed Feb. 22 in the Daytona 500.
"It's great to have KFC back on our No. 34 for another superspeedway race," Ragan said in a release provided by the team. "We had fun with the partnership last year, we got them lots of attention running up front, and we look forward to doing that again in Daytona."
Ragan struggled last season, logging just one top-10 finish as the No. 34 team limped to a tie for 32nd place in the final Sprint Cup standings. But the Statesville, North Carolina-based team has solidified its driver roster in the offseason by re-signing veteran David Gilliland and adding 23-year-old Cole Whitt to a full-time third team.