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Where does Michael Waltrip Racing’s closing leave David Ragan?

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 - Practice

SONOMA, CA - JUNE 26: David Ragan, driver of the #55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 26, 2015 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

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When he finished a nine-race stint substituting for the injured Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing earlier this season, David Ragan looked forward to what he hoped would be a long tenure at Michael Waltrip Racing.

Now, that tenure will go from hopefully long to quite brief, as Ragan will be left without a team at the end of this season when MWR effectively shuts down.

Ragan has made 13 starts with MWR since moving over from the Gibbs camp, with a best finish of 12th at Daytona in July.

Ragan has begun looking for a new opportunity for 2016 and issued a statement about the turn of events at MWR on Wednesday afternoon.

His statement read:

“I am grateful for the opportunity that Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota have provided me this year. I have worked hard to be a good teammate and spokesperson for all of our sponsors, and as a team we have collectively improved our performance from the beginning of the season.

“I look forward to staying focused and trying to win a race this season for Aaron’s and everyone at MWR.

“Going forward I will be working hard to secure a full-time ride in the Sprint Cup Series. At 29 years old, I feel my best years are in front of me.”

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