Kyle Busch’s injury provides David Ragan great opportunity

The opportunity is one most drivers would clamor for; a seat in a car capable of winning every week with a deep-pocketed organization flush with resources and sponsorship.

And having won 25 times since 2008, there is little doubt Joe Gibbs Racing and its No. 18 car, normally wheeled by Kyle Busch, certainly fits the description of team a young driver strives to join and a journeyman seeks to hook up with.

One man’s misfortune is another’s opening, however. With Busch sidelined, recovering from a broken right leg and a broken left foot sustained last weekend and his return to be measured in months not weeks, the No. 18 team is in need of a driver.

Enter David Ragan. A nine-year veteran whose experience made him attractive to JGR, which preferred a replacement who could step in and maintain some semblance of competitiveness.

Before JGR called, Ragan was with Front Row Motorsports, a small team with big aspirations but without the funding to continue running him full-time. Filling Busch’s seat not only gives Ragan a primo ride but a chance to revive a career very much at a crossroads.

“If it were a situation where I was committed to a full-time program and we had a full-time sponsor, it would have been something I couldn’t have made happen,” Ragan said. “The stars just aligned right.”

This isn’t Ragan’s first time with a powerhouse team. In 2007 Roush Fenway Racing selected him to replace the semi-retiring Mark Martin. Then a driver in the Camping World Truck Series, Ragan was ill-prepared for such a move and floundered.

In five full seasons he won just once and finished no better than 13th in points. When sponsorship became an issue, Roush consolidated from four teams to three. The downsizing meant Ragan was jettisoned.

With Front Row the only alternative, Ragan went there in the hopes of revitalizing his career. In 2013 he won at Talladega Superspeedway, Front Row’s first victory. The hope is a strong showing in the No. 18 car will prove he’s deserving of another opportunity with a high-profile team.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to get in one of the premiere rides in our sport for a little while to kind of see where I stand in my career as a driver,” Ragan said. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been with one of the larger teams.”

Busch remains hospitalized in a Charlotte, N.C. medical facility. He underwent surgery on his left foot Wednesday.

“My job is to do the best job I can for Joe Gibbs Racing and that’s what I intend to do,” Ragan said. “When Kyle’s back, he’s certainly the man and our sport is better with him. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing needs Kyle Busch out here on the race track.”