CONCORD, N.C. (May 27, 2017) – Ryan Reed had a fast No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang at Charlotte Motor Speedway, running solidly in the top 10 and top five throughout the 200-lap race. Reed tagged the outside wall while battling for position late in the race on a restart, resulting in some right-side damage. Despite the damage, Reed was able to battle it out until the end and cross the finish line 11th.
“We had a top-10 car and I got in the fence with about 40 to go just trying to get a couple more spots there at the end and tagged the fence,” said Reed. “That hurt the handling pretty good, so if I don’t make that mistake we have an easy top-10 day. Really, even with the car wrecked, we were still battling for a top-10, so to finish 11th with a wrecked car isn’t a terrible day. I’m happy with the progress. That’s the best car I’ve ever had at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so we’re headed in the right direction.”
Reed qualified his Lilly Diabetes Ford ninth for Saturday afternoon’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reed cracked the top five in stage one before a tight center off condition developed. Reed closed out stage one 10th and pitted during the stage break for four tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments.
Stage two was relatively uneventful in the way of cautions on the track, but the handling on the No. 16 went to the loose side. Despite that, Reed was able to finish up the stage seventh and after a pit stop maintained that track position to tackle the final stage.
Multiple cautions in the final stage did not help the handling on Reed’s Ford. The No. 16 was stronger on longer runs. Despite that, the team was able to stay in the top 10. Reed brushed the wall towards the end of the race, but despite the right-side damage was able to still be competitive on the track. Reed took the final green-white-checkered restart ninth and narrowly missed a top-10 finish, crossing the finish line 11th.
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 wide range of therapies 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.
