RICHMOND, Va. (September 12, 2015) – Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association team finished 13th on Friday night ‘under the lights’ at Richmond International Raceway after starting 14th.
“After the past couple of weeks it was a relief to run well and get a top-15 at Richmond,” said Reed. “We started off great this weekend and the car didn’t really need many adjustments in practice or qualifying. Once we got into race trim we were just really loose and had to take the time to make the necessary adjustments. This is definitely progress for us and I’m excited to see what the next couple of weeks bring.”
Reed rolled off 14th at the track where he made his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut in 2013. The field was slowed by a caution before the drivers could make it out of Turn 1. Reed restarted 14th on the next restart and had fallen back to the 17th position by the second caution on Lap 17. Reed reported to crew chief Chad Norris that the car was loose, which was the sentiment throughout the field.
Before the Lap 24 restart, Reed told Norris that he could use some side bite. Soon after the restart, he said he needed some help getting the car through the center of the turns and especially in Turn 4. He held on to the 18th position when the caution flag was displayed for the third time on Lap 43.
After running several laps under caution, NASCAR decided that the third caution period would serve as the scheduled competition caution that was to come on Lap 50. When the pits opened, Norris brought Reed down pit road for a spring rubber, air pressure and track bar adjustment as well as four tires and fuel. After the lengthy adjustments, Reed restarted 27th on Lap 53.
Ten laps later, Norris asked Reed to save his brakes and Reed reported back that he still needed some forward drive in the car, but that the last adjustment had really helped. By Lap 80, Norris told his driver that he was running really competitive lap times and that the glow from the front brakes looked really good if he needed to use them more.
By Lap 132, Reed was up to the 15th position as the field began to make their second pit stops of the day. Reed reported that the front tires had worn down significantly. The caution flag flew on Lap 134, giving Reed a chance to get new tires and a track bar adjustment for the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang. He restarted 15th on Lap 144.
The fifth caution of the night was displayed on Lap 160. Reed ran 16th and took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. Norris told Reed he was good on fuel should they need to make it to the end of the race.
The next caution of the night came on Lap 216 while Reed ran 16th. He was in the ‘Lucky Dog’ position, allowing him to get back on the lead lap. He told Norris that the car was tight in the center and loose on exit. Norris brought him down pit road on Lap 219 for four fresh tires. Unsure if they got all of the lug nuts tight, the team brought Reed back down pit road to tighten them. This did not hurt track position since taking the ‘Lucky Dog’ relegated them to restarting at the end of the longest line.
The final restart of the night came on Lap 225 with 25 laps remaining in the event. Reed restarted 15th and was able to make his way up to the 13thposition before taking the checkered flag on the .75-mile short track in Richmond, Va.
Reed remains 10th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings, 225 points behind points -leader and teammate Chris Buescher. Reed and the rest of the NASCAR XFINITY Series will return to the track on Saturday, September 19th at Chicagoland Speedway, where Reed is the defending winner of the ARCA Racing Series event at the track.
Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series competition with drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace. Now in its 28th season, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and producing multiple award-winning digital and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by Jack Roush, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, circle on Google+, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.
About The American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. For the past 75 years, our mission has been to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world’s first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued determination to provide real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—we strive to make life better for all those affected by diabetes around the world. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com or follow us on Twitter: @LillyDiabetes.
