Rookie race

With all the attention NASCAR rookie Juan Pablo Montoya has received in the early weeks of the Nextel Cup Series, it’s hard to believe there are any other Cup rookies.
One is actually racing as well as Montoya.
David Ragan, the rookie driver for Roush Fenway Racing, is tied with Montoya in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rookie-of-the-year standings.
At the most recent race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Ragan finished ahead of Montoya. Ragan was 26th. Montoya was 32nd.
Each has a top-five finish after five races. Montoya was fifth at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ragan was fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500.
In the Cup standings, both are working their way up for a Chase spot, one of the top-12 positions available for the 10-race playoff for the Cup championship. Montoya is 19th. Ragan is 39 points behind Montoya in 22nd.
Ragan said he considers it an honor to be racing Montoya for rookie of the year honors in NASCAR. But he does not consider the Colombian-born, former Formula One driver a rookie.
“I tell my buddies, remind my dad, he’s an Indianapolis 500 winner. He’s won races overseas and all,” said Ragan, driver of the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. “I said, that’s something pretty special. He’s not a rookie. He’s not looking at the rookie-of-the-year the same way I am.”
Ragan is very aware of Montoya’s resume. He has won a Champ Car World Series championship, the Grand Prix of Monaco and some of the most famous races in the world.
“He’s going about it in a little different way than I am,” Ragan said. “But it’s certainly cool to be on that same level playing field and it definitely gives us something to shoot for every week.”
If racing against Montoya for top rookie honors wasn’t enough for Ragan, he is also the driver who took over Mark Martin’s car at Roush Fenway Racing. The expectations for Ragan started high and they don’t appear to be getting lower.
“I think it has been tough,” Ragan said. “Certainly Jeff Gordon could get in the No. 6 Ford Fusion and it would be tough to fill Mark Martin’s shoes. Mark is a guy that’s kind of irreplaceable. He’s a great driver, champion, and you can definitely see by his new team he’s with this year, he's doing a great job with what he’s got to work with.”
Martin left Roush Fenway Racing for Ginn Racing so that he could run a partial Cup schedule. After leading the Cup standings after the first four races with his new team, Martin skipped the race at Bristol. He will miss Sunday’s Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. It was all part of his plan to pick and choose the races he wanted.
Ragan said he feels more comfortable in the race car each week.
“We'll sneak up on this thing,” Ragan said. “Fifteen, 20 races into the year when we pop up with a strong top-five run, possibly a pole, a win or something down the road, it will surprise everyone. “That’s just the way we want it to play into our hands.”