Unadilla Native Wins NASCAR Race in Talladega

UNADILLA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Unadilla native wins big during this year’s spring NASCAR race at Talladega Speedway. It came down to the last two laps and David Ragan pulled ahead to take the checker flag.

One hundred eighty-eight laps, two major crashes, and rain delays that pushed the race into over time. With two laps to go, Ragan started making his way to the front of the pack.

“I always thought that we had a chance to win, but I really didn’t know how realistic that was until we took the white flag and were going through turns one and two,” Ragan said during a phone interview with 41NBC’s Amanda Castro.

It was a pair of David’s slaying the NASCAR Goliath’s. Ragan’s teammate David Gilliland gave car #34 the push it needed to get around the leaders. Ragan called it the race winning move.

“We kind of went to the low side and there was a little bit of a door opening and we busted through and he pushed me the whole way down the back straight away,” he said.

He took turns three and four and then the checkered flag. This makes Ragan’s second career Spring Cup win and a first for the Front Row Motorsports team.

“You never forget that first win and its great to be a part of a team’s first win,” Ragan said.

It is a big victory to bring back home, “Middle Georgia will always be home for myself.” And a sweet celebration in victory lane.

Gilliland took second during the race with Carl Edwards finishing third. This win puts Ragan in the NASCAR Spring All-Star race on May 18th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.