LOUDON, N.H. (July 15, 2017) – Ryan Reed drove his way to a 14th-place finish Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford. Reed started the race 19th and worked his way up to 14th by lap 30 when the field was red flagged for rain. Once racing resumed Reed maintained his track position over long green flag runs, while dealing with a tight handling condition all the way to the checkered flag.
“We couldn’t quite get it going today,” said Reed. “We gained some ground but just couldn’t get the car where we needed it. The fuel only call at the end was a good attempt to get back on the lead lap, but a caution didn’t fall our way.”
Reed started the race from the 19th position and worked his way up to 14th on lap 30 when the caution came out for rain. The caution flag quickly turned to a red flag, and the field was parked to wait out the rain.
Luckily the rain shower was brief and cleared out quickly so the field could resume racing. Reed pitted for four tires and fuel before going back to green on lap 35. Reed restarted 19th and closed out Stage 1 on lap 45 in the 18th position.
After contact on the track resulted in a left rear tire rub, Reed pitted for a left year wedge adjustment and to have the fenders cleared from the tire during the stage break. Despite restarting Stage 2 in the 17th position and battling a tight handling machine, Reed patiently worked his way up to 14th to finish the stage.
The team took a big swing at adjustments over the stage break and Reed restarted 13th with just over 100 laps remaining. The race remained green over the final stage, not leaving many opportunities for adjustments costing Reed to lose a lap to the leaders with 50 laps remaining.
Crew chief Phil Gould made a pit strategy call to take fuel only on their final stop to get back on the lead lap should a caution come out. The caution never came and Reed lost a second lap to fresher tires, but the team broke even on the strategy call when Reed crossed the finish line in the 14thposition.
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.
