David Ragan to drive Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 for remainder of 2015

David Ragan has been named the driver of the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota starting May 9 at Kansas Speedway, the team announced early Tuesday morning.

Ragan has served as the substitute driver for Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing since the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Now, the 29-year-old will move over to MWR to fill in for the team's regular driver, Brian Vickers.

"The only way I can repay all the people I have to thank for making this happen is to go out and win races and get MWR, Aaron's and Toyota in the Chase," said Ragan. "It's going to be awesome knowing when I climb in the No. 55 at Kansas that car will be mine the rest of the season. I look forward to working with (teammate) Clint Bowyer, the crew and shop employees at MWR. It's tough what's happened to them this year but I hope I can come in and make 2015 something special."

Vickers was initially slated to drive the No. 55 Toyota on a full-time basis in 2015, however heart surgery in December caused him to miss the first two races of the season. Further complications with blood clots took Vickers out of the car again after just two races.

Brett Moffitt has served as the replacement driver in the No. 55 MWR Toyota, while team owner Michael Waltrip will drive the car this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

"Life has thrown a lot at MWR the first part of this racing season, but our team has stood tall and worked through it," said Waltrip. "Our original plans for the No. 55 team have been challenged since December and we felt it was important for our employees and our sponsors to solidify the remainder of the 2015 season. The opportunity to bring David Ragan into the team is incredible for a number of reasons. He will bring experience, consistency and a lot of confidence based on how he has been running with our Toyota teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. He also puts the No. 55 team and Aaron's right back into the Chase for the Sprint Cup contention, which is a very positive turn of events for that team.

While the team remains committed to Vickers, there is no timetable for his return and the organization was forced to find a permanent substitute driver.

"There is absolutely no question about Brian Vickers' ability, but there remains a question of his availability," said Waltrip. "We are going to remain very close with Brian while he works on his plan to return. We have told him that MWR is here when he has a clear picture about what the future holds, but we don't need to add any timeline pressures. He is working with a lot of medical advisors and once he has established his plan, we will sit down and discuss next steps."

Waltrip also thanked Moffitt for his role as a substitute driver. The 22-year-old driver finished eighth in his first start with the team in Atlanta.

"I'm really proud of the incredible job Brett Moffitt has done for us in the 55. He has been a big part of this organization for the last couple of years and he will continue in that role. With the limited number of starts Brett has in this industry, he has proven that he has the talent to be a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and we are still committed to helping him get that opportunity."

Ragan initially started the season with Front Row Motorsports, but has served in the substitute driver role since the second race of the season. With MWR announcing their move on Tuesday, Front Row Motorsports team owner Bob Jenkins wished his former driver all the best.

"We are grateful to David Ragan for his contributions to the growth of Front Row Motorsports and his commitment to our partners over the past three years," said Jenkins. "He led us on our first trip to Victory Lane, and that's a moment we'll never forget. We wish him the best with his new team."

NASCAR XFINITY Series regular Chris Buescher has driven the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford in four races this year, and will be back behind the wheel for this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway. The team is finalizing more permanent plans for the No. 34 and will announce those in the coming weeks.

Ragan's move to MWR also opens the seat in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It has been reported 19-year-old Erik Jones will step into that seat starting at Kansas Speedway.

Jones has one XFINITY Series win this year at Texas Motor Speedway and ran his first Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway substituting for Denny Hamlin, who had neck spasms. 

A JGR spokesman told NASCAR Race Hub's Andrew Dowd the team did not plan on making any announcement on Tuesday about their plans for the No. 18 car at Kansas Speedway.