David Ragan chasing Penske seat left vacant by Kurt Busch

Busch and Penske parted ways by mutual consent earlier this week, following a turbulent end to this season which had culminated in Busch being fined by NASCAR for verbally abusing a TV reporter while waiting to do an interview at Homestead.

Ragan was in the middle of a contract with Roush Fenway Racing. But team boss Jack Roush had hinted recently that the 25-year-old was likely to be without a drive for next year. The team has now released Ragan so he can pursue the Penske drive.

"I've reached out to them and explained my situation to those guys," said Ragan of Penske. "I'm a free agent. I don't have any obligations, let's sit down and talk.

"They've got a lot going on, I'm kind of waiting for them to give me a timetable and say 'hey - here's our plan'. They know where I stand, and time will tell what happens next."

Ragan has never made the 12-driver Chase for the championship in his Cup career, and only scored his maiden Cup victory this year at Daytona. But he believes he could be a contender if he gets a good car.

"I feel like I'm a capable driver to win races at a lot of different race tracks," he said. "Given the right situation, I can come into a programme and we can contend for a Chase spot."