NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — RFK Racing will enter a third car in next year's season-opening Daytona 500 for David Ragan, who will pilot the No. 60 Ford as part of a new program for the organization.

The #Stage60 program will bring the No. 60 to the Cup Series and RFK plans to use it in additional races that were not part of Wednesday's announcement. The number is part of Jack Roush's heritage and was used in nearly 600 races in the second-tier Xfinity Series by Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Chris Buescher and others.

The No. 60 won 94 Xfinity races for what was then called Roush Racing, and Biffle won the 2002 Xfinity title in the car.

“The 60 car represents an opportunity for us to honor our past and look forward to the future of RFK Racing,” said Steve Newmark, president of RFK Racing.

#Stage60 will feature a “modern retro” font for the Ford and use a logo that pays homage to the classic Roush Stage III Mustang.

Ragan, who is from Georgia, competed for 13 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2007 through 2019. He spent five seasons in the No. 6 Ford Mustang for Roush from 2007-11. The 37-year-old has two career Cup wins, including a victory in the 2011 summer race at Daytona.

Ragan has made 30 Cup starts at Daytona with eight top-10 finishes.

“It’s really exciting to be back in an RFK Ford,” Ragan said. “I spent some of the best years of my career driving for Mr. Jack and the team at RFK. They really gave me my first opportunity in the sport."

The car will be sponsored by BuildSubmarines.com, which is owned and operated by BlueForge Alliance. It sponsored 10 races last season for RFK, which placed both Buescher and Brad Keselowski in the playoffs in a resurgence for a program that had fallen on hard times. BuildSubmarines.com will be the anchor sponsor for team co-owner Keselowski in 2024.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing