DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2016) – A year has passed since Ryan Reed’s emotional win at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), but the 22-year-old Roush Fenway Racing driver is not satisfied with just one trophy from the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway.
“It’s awesome to be able to say my first win was at Daytona, but I think winning here twice would mean even more to me and the team,” said Reed. “It would really prove that we are here to contend for a championship this year and show what we’ve been working on in the offseason.”
Reed had the chance to relive his win at DIS in the offseason as he traveled to Vancouver to be a part of Comcast XFINITY’s brand spot, which aired during the Super Bowl, Grammy’s and will air during the Oscar’s. The commercial spot concludes with a reenactment of Reed’s Daytona win and his hoisting the trophy above his head as his crew celebrates around him.
“Being a part of something that big for our series sponsor was unbelievable,” said Reed. “Hopefully we can reenact our win again this weekend and put our No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang back in Victory Lane.”
Reed’s storybook win at Daytona in 2015 was not only his first career win, but also the first win for Roush Fenway Racing in the XFINITY Series at Daytona. Reed, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2011 and told he would never race again, was overcome with emotion as he climbed out of the car.This is for … every kid who gets diagnosed with diabetes, or anything, that says you can’t do something, just go out there and overcome it and do it and win. Do the best you can. This is unreal. It hasn’t even soaked in yet.”
“This is for … every kid who gets diagnosed with diabetes, or anything, that says you can’t do something, just go out there and overcome it and do it and win,” said Reed. “Do the best you can. This is unreal. It hasn’t even soaked in yet.”
The beginning of February marked a milestone in Reed’s diabetes journey. His five-year ‘diaversary,’ the date he was diagnosed with diabetes, was on February 7th.
“It’s hard to believe that just five years ago my life changed forever,” said Reed. “I went from being told I would never race again because of my diabetes to winning Daytona. It’s been a whirlwind, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to show so many people that it’s possible to live well with diabetes and still reach your goals.”
Reed’s goal for 2016 is to win races, but more importantly – contend for the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.
“The new Chase format is definitely going to put a premium on winning, that is obvious, but I feel you are going to have a lot of guys that still get locked in on points,” said Reed. “It has added a lot on the Sprint Cup side and I am excited to be a part of it. I am sure there will be some drama along the way and I hope I can stay out of that and keep my head down and hopefully go for a championship.”
Reed and the rest of the NASCAR XFINITY Series kick off the 2016 season at DIS on Saturday, February 20th at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN.
