Ford Performance NXS Notes and Quotes
Alert Today Florida 300 – Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 21, 2015
RYAN REED, No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW “We got shuffled back with about three to go and were on the top with nowhere to go and luckily I ducked in line on the bottom and I was just trying to salvage hopefully a top seven or eight and get a good points day. When they started wrecking on the last lap it put me in position where I was pushing. I ended up getting a huge run on Brad and he was left on an island so I got a huge run on him and really I was hoping I could guess the block. I knew he would take me high and it was just about how quick I could get underneath him. We timed it perfect and here we are.”
THEN YOU LOOK IN YOUR MIRROR AND HEAR COMES YOUR TEAMMATE AND SOME OTHERS. HOW DID YOU HOLD THEM OFF? “I don’t know. I was about to throw up on the last lap there coming to the line. I saw Chris coming and I knew he would have a big run. I didn’t know whether to block the bottom or top. I can’t thank my spotter Joel enough. He does a great job every week. Like I said, I can’t thank everyone who stood behind me through my Type 1 diabetes diagnosis four years ago. I was told I wouldn’t race and now we are standing in victory lane at Daytona. Thank you Lilly Diabetes, American Diabetes Association, Roush Fenway, Ford and everyont that stood behind us through everything we have been through. It is time to celebrate.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – “I definitely had too big of a lead. There’s only so much you can block and the run that the 16 had was just more than I could block without wrecking everybody, so that’s just part of it I guess.” WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU SEE THEM GETTING LARGER IN THE MIRROR? “Something happened to 98 car exiting turn two and it just pulled a huge gap on the field and I couldn’t react fast enough to that to try to stay with the field and I drove away from it and it kind of rubberbanded back on us. The 16 and the 60 got a great run with some really smart drafting and flung by us. That was just the way the cards were dealt. We’ve come to Daytona the last four or five years and led a bunch of laps, and been leading towards the end, and not been able to finish it out and today is the same.”
ARIC ALMIROLA – No. 98 Fresh From Florida Ford Mustang – “We had a really big head of steam coming to the white and the 42 moved up to block my run, which was fine, I was good with that, because I thought I could push him and we could go race the 22. He got loose when he pulled up to block me and he started having a tank-slapper and I hit the wall. When he came back across my nose I hit the wall and we ended up with a tire rub on the right-rear and it blew out. I couldn’t race anymore and I was just trying to get it back to the finish line. All in all, it was a great day for our Fresh From Florida Ford Mustang and I’m glad a Ford Mustang went to Victory Lane.”
CHRIS BUESCHER – No. 60 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford Mustang – “That was great. That’s exactly what we need to come here and do. After the heartbreak of last year, coming down here and not qualifying, it’s something we had to rebound from and we knew that. We came down here with Cheez-It on our Ford Mustang and started off the XFINITY season in 2015 with a bang. To get Ryan his first win, I know how special it is getting our first win last year at Mid-Ohio and getting that monkey off your back is huge for him and it’s gonna carry momentum for our entire organization going forward.” HOW DID YOU SURVIVE? “I don’t even know. I think we were in the middle of about three wrecks and all I know is I just never lifted. There wasn’t a single wreck we slowed down for. We figured if we could just get by it and get gone, we were gonna be in good shape. It worked out. We were able to get down that backstretch and get hooked up with Ryan and push him past that 22. It was a great finish and a great way to start this season. I’m proud of my 60 guys. They worked so hard for this last year and didn’t get the opportunity to do it and for us to be able to come out here and get a solid finish and be fighting for that win, and have our teammate get it, is something special to us and I look for good things to come this season.”
DARRELL WALLACE JR. – No. 6 EcoBoost Ford Mustang – “Things went OK. We got up there fairly early and it was nice to get up there. We got our Ford EcoBoost Mustang out front, so that was good, but it just didn’t plan out there in the middle of the race. It’s a bummer because my guys worked super-hard to earn a better finish than this. It’s frustrating, but it could have been a lot worse. I’m excited about our season. It ended up being a decent points day for us. We didn’t wreck out early. We missed some big ones, so we’ll go to Atlanta with our Mustang and be ready to win.” A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE YOUNG DRIVERS THIS YEAR AT ROUSH FENWAY. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU AND THE ENTIRE GROUP TO WIN IN THE FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR? “That’s awesome. Congrats to Ryan and Ford and the whole RFR camp. I’m excited to be a part of this team. We’re showcasing what we’re all about and how much work was put on in the off-season and we’ll build off this. We’ll come up with a game plan, but that’s our one wreck for the year. We’ve got to minimize those.”
