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UPS Freight is the Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) trucking division of UPS. UPS acquired on August 8, 2005 Overnite Transportation (and its subsidiary Motor Cargo) for $1.25 billion.^[1] On April 28, 2006 Overnite transportation officially became UPS Ground Freight, Inc.^{[2][dead link]} The logos on the doors of the Overnite tractors were covered with signs showing the operator as UPS Freight. UPS freight soon changed the color scheme of the tractors from blue and grey to UPS brown on the bottom, with a gold line near the center of the tractor and gray for the upper color. All new vehicles purchased by UPS freight LTL come painted in these colors as the older Overnite equipment is replaced, while the new tractors for the truckload division (Former Overnite Transportation – Special Services Division) are solid white with the UPS shield on the roof fairing.

International DuraStar UPS Freight

Reasons for buyout[link]

Prior to the buyout of Overnite, FedEx had recently purchased LTL companies American Freightways (on the east coast) and Viking Freight (on the west coast), creating FedEx Freight. UPS spokesman Norman Black told industry news outlet FleetOwner the LTL industry had become attractive due to the increasing economic and strategic attractiveness of the sector: “[LTL has become] attractive because of consolidations and watching the survivors grow and flourish as they’ve been improving operating ratios and developing new types of services customers respond to – especially in time-definite delivery options... That is what Overnite has been forefront of and that’s a huge trend in commerce now. Certainly we see it in the package world."^[3]

References[link]

David Ragan
Born	(1985-12-24) December 24, 1985 (age 26) Unadilla, Georgia, United States
Awards	2007 NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
194 race(s) run over 7 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 34 (Front Row Motorsports)
2011 position	23rd
Best finish	13th - 2008
First race	2006 Dover 400 (Dover)
Last race	2012 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
First win	2011 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 31 2
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
99 race(s) run over 8 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 27 (GC Motorsports International)
2011 position	133rd
Best finish	4th – 2008
First race	2004 Ford 300 (Homestead)
Last race	2012 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Texas)
First win	2009 Aaron's 312 (Talladega)
Last win	2009 Food City 250 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 46 2
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
29 race(s) run over 3 year(s)
Best finish	24th – 2006
First race	2004 O'Reilly 400K (Texas)
Last race	2006 Casino Arizona 150 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 8 1
Statistics current as of May 24, 2012.

David Ragan, (born December 24, 1985), is an American stock car driver. Residing in Huntersville, North Carolina,^[1] he currently drives the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Ragan was born in Unadilla, Georgia, the son of former racer Ken Ragan, and began his racing career racing in the Bandolero Series at age 12. Four years later, he began competing in the Goody’s Dash Series with Cam Strader. After one year, he moved to the Legends Pro-Division to race for Mark Martin. He concluded the season by finishing fourth in the point standings. At age 18, Ragan began racing in the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, and the ARCA Racing Series.

In 2007, he moved the Sprint Cup Series, driving for Roush Fenway Racing. Between 2007 and 2011, he has recorded 30 top-tens in the series.

On July 2, 2011, David Ragan won his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup series race, the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Career[link]

1996–2002[link]

Ragan was born in Unadilla, Georgia in December 1985, the son of former racer, Ken Ragan.^[2] Ragan started his racing career in the Bandolero Series at age 12. During the following year, he managed to win twelve races and the National Championship. In 1999, he won the National Championship for the second time. In 2001, Ragan began racing in the Goody’s Dash Series with Cam Strader. During the season, the two built late models for Ragan to use in 2002. In 2002, he began racing in the Legends Pro-Division for Mark Martin. At the end of the season, he finished fourth in the final point standings.^[2]

2003–2006[link]

David Ragan's No. 6 in 2007

At age 18, Ragan moved to the Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck Series), as well as the Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) and the ARCA Racing Series. During his first career start in the ARCA Series, he qualified in the second position, but failed to finish the race after having tire failure.^[1] His first race in the Craftsman Truck Series was at Texas Motor Speedway, where he qualified 28th and finished in the 20th position for Fiddleback Racing. During the season, he failed to qualify for one race, and failed to finished six of the ten races he participated in.^[3] Ragan also participated in one Busch Series race at Homestead Miami Speedway, finishing 31st, after starting 36th.^[4] In the following season, he participated in Roush Racing: Driver X as the co-driver of the number 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford F-150 in the Truck Series. After participating in 19 events in the series, he recorded one top-five, eight top-ten finishes, and earned one pole position.^[1]

Also in 2005, Ragan participated in three Busch Series events,^[5] as well as 19 ARCA Racing Series events, where he managed to win one race, and record three pole positions, eight top-five and 11 top-ten finishes.^[6] During the 2006 season, he participated in three Busch Series events,^[7] and two Nextel Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) events.^[8] He also participated in 19 Truck Series events, where he recorded two pole positions, one top-five and eight top-ten finishes.^[9]

2007–2012[link]

Ragan's car in the garage preparing for the 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500.

For the 2007 season, Ragan moved to the Nextel Cup Series as the driver of the number 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. He also participated for the NASCAR Rookie of the Year standings in both Nextel Cup and Busch Series, where he managed to finished second in the Nextel Cup Series, while winning the award in the Busch Series.^[2] During the Cup season, Ragan recorded two top-five finishes, with one being in the 2007 Daytona 500, and three top-tens, finishing 23rd in the point standings.^[10][11] During the Busch Series season, he earned two pole positions, four top-five and nine top-ten finishes, while finishing fifth in point standings.^[10][12] Also in 2007, he participated in one ARCA Racing Series event, where he managed to finish in the fourth position.^[13]

In 2008, he raced in the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, as well as in two ARCA Racing Series events. In the Cup season, he recorded six top-five and 14 top-ten finishes, while finishing 13th in the final point standings. During the Nationwide season, he managed to get seven top-fives and 21 top-ten finishes. Ragan clinched fourth in the final point standings. One year later in 2009, he participated in only the Cup Series and the Nationwide Series. During the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, he recorded two top-ten finishes and finished 27th in the point standings. However, in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, he won two races, and earned five top-fives and 15 top-ten finishes, while finishing 18th in points.^[10]

During 2010, he only participated in the Sprint Cup Series. He recorded only three top-five finishes and finished 24th in points once the season concluded.^[2] In 2011, he began the year almost winning the Daytona 500, but he got penalized for moving lanes before he crossed the line on the restart with two laps to go.^[10] On May 21, 2011, he won the Sprint All-Star Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway, passing Brad Keselowski with two laps to go.

He won the Coke Zero 400 on July 2, 2011 for his first career Sprint Cup win. He was elgible to compete in the "wild card" to get himself into the chase. After bad finishes a few weeks before the final race before the chase at Richmond, he finished 4th but was 54 points away from 13th to put himself into a chase position. At the end of the 2011 season UPS, Ragan’s primary sponsor on the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford, announced that they would no longer sponsor the #6 and that the company would scale back it’s racing program next season. Leaving the number 6 team without sponsorship and ultimately forced the camp to shut down, making Roush Fenway Racing a 3 car team for the 2012 season.

In January 2012, Ragan signed with Front Row Motorsports to drive the No. 34 Ford for the team in 2012.^[14] He will also drive for GC Motorsports International in the season-opening Nationwide Series event at Daytona.^[15]

Sprint Cup Series statistics[link]

Data as of January 29, 2012^[16]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• David Ragan at Racing Reference