To celebrate the delivery of 53rd annual Daytona 500 tickets around the world, David Ragan, driver of the #6 UPS Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, jumped into a UPS package car and visited the homes of longtime area ticket holders. Matthew Leon, Walter Gasowski and Joe Roll (collecting them for his sister Marie Frye) were presented with their tickets to “The Great American Race” on Sunday, Feb. 20. Ragan also delivered goodie bags to all three ticket holders as well as new 14x14x14 soft-sided coolers. It’s the second straight year Ragan has rode shotgun in the UPS package car through the streets of the Daytona Beach area delivering tickets. Following his ticket deliveries, Ragan visited more than 400 sixth graders of Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange for a Racing to Read pep-rally with Volusia County Superintendent Margaret Smith, Principal Rick Inge and Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. Students were briefed on the 2011 Racing to Read program where if they read 20 books between Nov. 15 and Jan. 14, they will have the choice of a free ticket to either the NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the Daytona Supercross or an all-access tour of the Speedway. More than 50 schools across Volusia County are participating in the program. After giving kids encouragement to reach their reading goals and answering some questions, Ragan raced some students in an R/C car race. Tickets for the Daytona 500, which start at $55, and are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(11-18-2010)
