NEWTON, Iowa (July 29, 2017) – Ryan Reed was having a solid run Saturday afternoon at Iowa Speedway until a vibration developed following a routine mid-race pit stop. Reed tried to hold out for a caution, but had to pit under green for the loose wheel. The loose wheel took away a top-10 finish for Reed. Despite the setback, Reed held on to earn a 21st-place finish in the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford.
“The loose wheel was unfortunate, but we had a pretty solid Lilly Diabetes Ford,” said Reed. “We struggled a little in practice and qualifying, but were making solid gains during the race. We even turned some of our fastest lap times after the loose wheel. Hopefully we can get all of this bad luck behind us before the Playoffs.”
Reed started the race 18th and despite struggling through the center of the turn was able to work his way forward to close out stage one 14th. Reed visited pit road over the stage break for four tires, fuel, air pressure and wedge adjustments. Fast work by the Lilly Diabetes pit crew lined Reed up 10th for the start of stage two.
The tight handling condition through the center of the turns continued over the second 60-lap stage. The adjustments from the previous stop had helped, but Reed still needed more. Reed was running 12th when the flag waved to conclude stage two.
Reed took the green for the final stage from the 12th position after a trip to pit road for similar adjustments as the previous stop. Reed lost positions on the restart and a few laps after going green he reported to his team that he had a bad vibration. Hoping to catch a caution, Reed rode out the vibration as long as he could before the vibration became unbearable.
Reed pitted under green with the loose wheel and lost two laps in the process. A few laps after the unscheduled stop the caution came out on the track. Reed came back down pit road since the loose wheel had hurt the right-front hub. The team added a wheel spacer and once back on track under green, Reed was logging competitive lap times, despite some pull from the damaged hub.
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.
