Legends trio returning to AMS

Logano, Sorenson, Ragan all cut their young wheels here.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — Hanging on the wall in the infield media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where all of NASCAR’s top three divisions will race this weekend, is a photo of three pintsized Legends drivers — Reed Sorenson, David Ragan and Joey Logano.

As NASCAR returns to the one-time home track of the three drivers, all of whom have advanced to the Sprint Cup Series, Logano will be the talk of the town, having just won the sport’s biggest race, the Daytona 500.

Sorenson and Ragan also have plenty to be proud of after the 2015 edition of Speedweeks. Both came to Daytona without the safety net of a provisional starting spot for the 500. And both raced their way into Sunday’s Great American Race with gutsy efforts in Thursday’s 150-mile qualifying races. Both had to finish among the top 15 to earn a spot in the 500, and both did so despite long odds against them.

Of the two, Ragan, who has a win in the July 2011 race at Daytona and another in 2013 at Daytona’s sister track, Tal- ladega Superspeedway, made the stronger charge at the end of the 500.

He drafted his way to 17th in a run to the checkered flag cut short by the crash that stopped Jeff Gordon.

Sorenson wasn’t as fortunate — he was involved in the same crash as Gordon, who was racing in his final Daytona 500 and is set to run what likely will be his final race at AMS, where he started his Cup career in the fall of 1992.

Sorenson finished 32nd.

Ragan, as usual at a restrictor-plate race where his Front Row Motorsports team isn’t at the disadvantage it is on other tracks, was poised to race his way to the front after lurking in the back for much of the 500.

But his plans didn’t play out as expected.

“We fell back towards the end of the pack with about 60 laps to go and didn’t have enough time to make it to the front in the closing laps,” Ragan said. “But we’ll take a top-20 finish and a car in one piece and move on.”

Ragan also joined those offering congratulations to Logano.

“Joey is a good friend and deserves the success,” Ragan said. “He has a lot of talent and a great team to back him up.”

JOHN RAOUX / AP David Ragan, greeting fans before the start of Sunday’s Daytona 500, is pleased with his 17th-place finish in NASCAR’s biggest race with “a car in one piece.”

TERRY RENNA Reed Sorenson finished 32nd at Daytona.