Ryan Reed impressive in Nationwide Series debut at Richmond
After working his way up through the racing ranks, Ryan Reed was given the opportunity to show his skills in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night.
The 19-year-old impressed many as he ran up front throughout the night and was battling for fifth before he made contact with the wall late in the race. As a result, he would finish 16th.
“I learned so much to from this Roush Fenway team,” Reed said after the race. “I really wanted to give them a top-10 tonight but it just didn’t happen that way. (Crew chief) Seth (Barbour) and all the guys gave me the best Ford Mustang and I was disappointed as we had the car to beat. I have to say a special thanks to Jack Roush for giving me this opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting back into this car again. I’m so thankful to the American Diabetes Association for coming on board with us to make this happen and show life has no limits.”
The Bakersfield, California native isn’t your normal racecar driver as he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two years ago. At the time, he was told that he would never be able to race again.
“When I was diagnosed, I was really humbled, especially when they told me I wasn’t going to be able to race again,” he told me last year. “I was devastated and really just, I thought I was invincible and then to learn that my dream was going to be taken away.”
However, once learning about other athletes that continued in their sport after being diagnosed, he worked at learning how to handle the disease while racing.
Last year at Daytona International Speedway, a year after being diagnosed, he made his ARCA Racing Series debut with Venturini Motorsports. In his first 14 starts last year, he had six top 10s and caught the eye of Roush Fenway Racing.
Now, in the Nationwide Series, Reed is looking for success while promoting the American Diabetes Association. Reed will be back in the Nationwide Series later this year at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. Till he runs that event, he will be getting back to his roots running some late model races.
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Jimmie Johnson: Despite being collected in a spin initiated by Tony Stewart and finishing 12th, Johnson increased his lead in the Sprint Cup point standings. He now leads Carl Edwards by 43.
“My points lead is so big,” Johnson said, “only a NASCAR inspection could do anything about it.
“I got ‘Smoked;’ now, I’m ‘Steamed.’ Stewart may be a three-time Cup champion, but judging by his performance this year, I’m not sure I want any of him ‘rubbing off’ on me.”
2. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished sixth at Richmond, posting his fifth top-10 result of the year. He jumped four spots to second in the point standings, and now trails Jimmie Johnson by 43.
“How about Matt Kenseth and his connecting rods?” Edwards said. “NASCAR says they didn’t weigh enough. I would tend to agree, because I’ve known Kenseth was a lightweight for years.”
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt scored his first top-10 finish in the month of April with a 10th in the Toyota Owners 400. He is third in the point standings, 46 out of first.
“It was wild at Richmond International Speedway,” Earnhardt said. “There were nut shots, fights, and arrests. It reminded me of Mother’s Day with Teresa.
“I may be a ‘Junior,’ but I wouldn’t stoop so low as to kick a competitor in the balls. If I’m going to kick someone where it hurts, it will be a fan of Junior Nation, in the wallet, at the merchandise stand.”
4. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer led 113 laps at Richmond and finished second to former teammate Kevin Harvick. He is fifth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 53 out of first.
“I was the top Toyota finisher,” Bowyer said. “Which means NASCAR will be watching me as intently as I watch Jeff Gordon.
“In the wake of the Matt Kenseth penalties, Toyota Racing Development recalled three of my engines. Now, Michael Waltrip can say he’s just like an ordinary Toyota owner, because now he’s experienced a recall.”
5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth led a race-high 140 laps at Richmond and finished seventh after a mad green-white-checkered scramble at the finish. It was an impressive result, coming just days after NASCAR levied harsh penalties on the team for illegal parts.
“I don’t agree with NASCAR’s penalties,” Kenseth said. “I feel they were much too strict with their inspection. In other words, I was ‘screw-tinized.’”
6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski struggled at Richmond, finishing 33rd, eight laps down, his worst finish of the season. He is now sixth in the point standings, 59 out of first.
“It’s good to see NASCAR’s focus on something other than Penske Racing,” Keselowski said. “Penalties have become so commonplace, there’s practically no difference in the questions ‘Witch hunt?’ and ‘Which hunt?’”
“Among kicks in the balls in NASCAR this year, Nelson Piquet, Jr.’s may be the most blatant. Is it a surprise that Piquet’s right foot was in Brian Scott’s crotch? Not really, because it certainly wasn’t on the gas pedal.
7. Kevin Harvick: Harvick dashed from seventh to first on the chaotic green-white-checkered finish at Richmond, earning him his first win of the season. Harvick took four tires and, after a great restart, easily picked off Jeff Burton to take the lead.
“I found some extra motivation,” Harvick said. “Some Richard Childress Racing drivers needed a kick in the pants, not in the balls. Of course, I was lucky to win. While Nelson Piquet, Jr.’s may have put one up Brian Scott’s, I pulled “one” out of mine. And it didn’t hurt nearly as much.”
8. Kasey Kahne: Kahne finished 21st in the Toyota Owners 400 on a night when only one Hendrick Motorsports driver finished in the top 10. Kahne is tied for third in the point standings, 46 out of first.
“It was a wild weekend at Richmond,” Kahne said. “Now, I can say the same thing to Nelson Piquet, Jr. that I would say to a lovely Sprint Cup girl: ‘nice rack.’ Between them, my teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have nine Cups. Hopefully, they can spare one for me to wear.”
9. Kyle Busch: Busch’s No. 18 Toyota was damaged when Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48, sent reeling by Tony Stewart, spun into Busch’s path. Busch eventually finished 24th, ending his run of four consecutive spring victories at Richmond.
“They say good things come in three’s,” Busch said. “But bad things come in two’s, like damaged Busch brother cars at Richmond, Tony Stewart chins, and bruised Brian Scott testicles.”
10. Greg Biffle: Biffle suffered a broken shock and spun about midway through Saturday’s race. He finished 36th, 15 laps down, and tumbled four spots in the point standings. He is now eighth, 71 out of first.
“Of all the wild occurrences over the weekend,” Biffle said, “mine was the least shocking. Take it from Brian Scott—a swift kick in the nuts can really cause momentary confusion. Medically, that’s known as a loss of your ball bearings.
“But Nelson Piquet, Jr. isn’t completely at fault. He made millions of NFL fans happy, because ‘foot-ball’ season came early this year.”
It’s the Competition, Stupid
Richmond International Raceway is one of the three jewels on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit Along with Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. Saturday night at Richmond should be what the doctor ordered, but it wasn’t for some reason. The beginning, and for that matter, most of the Toyota Owners 400 was an event dominated by two drivers: Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya. At different times during the race, they were dominant. Kenseth was dominant overall and Montoya late in the race. As the race got to the deciding stage, Kevin Harvick’s crew came alive and it was the No. 29 Chevrolet that won. Montoya said it was lane choice, and maybe it was, but it was more about the RCR than any driver.
With the heavy load of point penalties and crew suspensions hanging over the heads of the No. 20 and both Penske teams, it seemed like it was a heavyweight championship fight. Kenseth led early and often and Montoya late. It also became a fight to the finish. As is the norm on short tracks, things changed at the end. Everyone pitted, well, most everyone, on the last caution with less than 10 laps to go, and Harvick, who started seventh, proved that with a car good enough, you can get to the front and Harvick did. Kenseth faded out of the top five and Montoya could do no better than fourth. To his credit, Joey Logano finished third on this long night and Clint Bowyer second—two players who didn’t have any say most of the night. Sounds like a pretty good show, right? I thought so.
Behind all of this was the lack of crowd. I didn’t go to Richmond this year. I just couldn’t fit it in the schedule this year, and all I could see was empty seats. It reminded me of Bristol at the beginning of the month. If people won’t come to these two venues were the racing is so good, is there any hope for NASCAR? That’s a question that should be pondered elsewhere. With the scrum after the Nationwide race on Friday, I would have thought the stands would be overflowing. And yet, it’s a problem.
I have a theory. It’s lack of competition. I know that will be rejected by most of you reading, but look at the 2013 so far. When the Gen6 car was announced, it was the end-all of cars. It would be the solution for evening the field. It looked more like the showroom car and that would bring fans back. For an organization that said brand loyalty wasn’t important and driver loyalty was important, it was a tremendous error in judgment. The Car of Tomorrow, which has strangely been removed from the vocabulary used, was a disaster. Couple that with the domination of just a few teams, and you have a disaster waiting to happen. And yet, no one has admitted blame, at least as far as I can tell. One fan told me recently that he would not go back to Charlotte to spend $1,000 to see Jimmie Johnson win again. Years ago, NASCAR tried to keep the competition between brands equal, but with the advent of the COT (forgive me, the Gen5), all that stopped. Things started to go downhill from there.
The competition factor also relates to the Chase. The whole season is based on the last ten races. Once upon a time, it was important that drivers were always noted as the champion of the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, the Coca-Cola 600, or the Food City 500. Not anymore is that the case. It’s all relative. All that matters is if you can get into the top 10 or be in line for the two wild card slots via wins. No matter if you finished fifth each race and via circumstances you might be fifth in the points, you might start the Chase in ninth position, giving the big teams an advantage because they have more resources or got on a lucky streak. So, each race weekend is less important. Why should you and I attend a race that is only important on how you finish in the regular season? Well, I know the MLB, the NFL, and the NBA do this, but this is not a stick and ball sport, something that the powers that be are always telling us. Win the Daytona 500—big deal. Finish second on a big battle with another driver, not so much, You’re the first loser. And you get punished for the playoffs, something no other racing organization has.
Yes, the ticket prices are high (almost 20% over the last ten years according to one season ticket holder I know). Yes, motel rooms are higher and gasoline prices are higher, but so many are willing to spend the money if they think it’s worth the cash. Today, the race you’re seeing is only a stepping stone to the final ten races and a win is only good if the dominant teams (here defined as only Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, and only Roush-Fenway, Richard Childress Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing being an afterthought, among others like Earnhardt-Ganassi, and Furniture Row). Motel rooms are outrageous, and the cost of hauling an RV around is tough. But people still come to other sports venues when there is going to be a competitive event. These days, with each race not being important, and fans knowing everything will be totally different come September, it’s easier to sit at home and watch the large screen TV. I don’t see an answer.
