Stewart has shifted gears on Ragan

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch each has eight wins this season. Jimmie Johnson has six victories and is poised to win his third NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

So who does Tony Stewart think is the NASCAR series’ driver of the year? David Ragan.

David Ragan?

Never mind that the 22-year-old Ragan has never won a Cup race. He’s Stewart’s pick because of how Ragan has matured on the track in the two years since he joined the big leagues of stock car racing. “That kid has impressed me so much,” Stewart said Friday before qualifying for Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Edwards, Busch and Johnson “are your obvious ones” for driver of the year, “but I think David Ragan deserves to be in that category too,” Stewart said.

Johnson won the pole position with a lap of 134.725 mph on the one-mile Phoenix International oval, nipping the 134.625-mph lap posted by Jamie McMurray.

Edwards, second to Johnson in the points battle, qualified 15th and Ragan qualified 30th. Edwards and McMurray are Ragan’s teammates at Roush Fenway Racing.

Earning an endorsement from Stewart is noteworthy because Stewart is a two-time Cup champion with Joe Gibbs Racing and considered one of NASCAR’s best drivers.

But it’s even more pointed because it was the outspoken Stewart who called Ragan “a dart without feathers” in late 2006 when Ragan crashed in two races after he joined the Cup series. “When he started, he was a dart without feathers,” Stewart said Friday. “There was no confidence on the race track. He didn’t understand the give-and-take [between drivers] very well.

“Now when you see him, you’re like, ‘This kid gets it,’ ” Stewart said. Ragan now understands the “concept of longer races and how to be patient and where the give-and-take is appropriate. You’re very comfortable around him.”

Indeed, Ragan has been the best driver this season who is not in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup, the 10-race playoff among the top 12 drivers in points.

After narrowly missing the 12th spot in the Chase, Ragan has stayed 13th in points for the last several weeks. Overall, he has six top-five finishes -- including thirds at Michigan and Talladega -- and 13 top-10 finishes this season.

Ragan said he was flattered by Stewart’s comments.

“It’s always neat to have guys like Tony and guys that are influential in the sport give you props,” he said. “It gives everybody [on the team] a sense of accomplishment.”

In the Chase, meanwhile, the two main contenders said they’re ready to resume their battle Sunday.

“I am certainly more comfortable now than any other Chase that we have been a part of,” said Johnson, who holds a 106-point lead over Edwards with two races left.

Edwards had trailed by 183 points but gained 77 with his victory Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, where Johnson finished 15th.

“I don’t want this margin to shrink any more,” Johnson said. “I want to leave here without losing any points.”

Edwards, meanwhile, was asked if Johnson should be concerned about keeping his lead. “If I were in their position I’d be nervous because everybody can see how the sport can go,” Edwards said. “I hope they’re worried about us.”

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james.peltz@latimes.com

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NASCAR

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Auto Parts 500

Site: Avondale, Ariz.

Schedule: Sunday, 12:45 p.m., Channel 7.