08/08/2015
Reed Finishes 30th at Watkins Glen after Late-Race Incident
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 8, 2015) – Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association team finished 30th on Saturday after getting caught up in an incident with seven laps to go.
“I felt like it was a long weekend,” said Reed. “I had a lot to learn and we started to put it together there at the end. As a driver this place either comes naturally to you or you have to work hard at it so I was really glad I was able to start running competitive lap times and get a hang of this place at the end of the race. Hopefully we can salvage the car and have better luck next weekend at Mid-Ohio.”
Reed started the 200-mile event from the 23rd position on Saturday afternoon and was up to 19th by the first caution flag on Lap eight. Reed reported that the car’s handling was tight, but he was still getting a feel for the seven turn, 2.45-mile road course.
The team made their first pit stop of the day under green on Lap 20. They put four fresh Goodyear tires on Reed’s No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang and sent him back out just in time for the caution flag to fly a lap later.
After the rest of the field cycled through their pit stops, Reed restarted 11th on Lap 26 and was up to the ninth position by the next caution flag a lap later. Shortly after the restart, Reed was hit from behind, sending him spinning off the course. When he got the car turned around and back on the course, he had fallen back to the 26th position.
With 46 laps to go, the team made their second pit stop of the day under the caution flag. Crew Chief Seth Barbour called for four tires and a full tank of fuel. Reed restarted in the 21st position on the impending restart.
With 35 laps to go, Reed reported that the grass on the grille of the car that he gathered from his Lap 30 spin had caused the car’s water temperature to rise drastically. He brought the car to the attention of his pit crew to clean the grille and pull a piece of tape to cool the engine. When Reed returned to the track, he reported that the car’s water temperature was back to normal.
With 22 laps to go, the field fell under a full-course caution once again. Reed had made his way up to the 20th position after falling back to 26th following the unscheduled pit stop. Two laps later, the team brought Reed down pit road for the final time in the 82-lap event. They put on four fresh tires, made an air pressure adjustment and pulled a windshield tearoff from the car.
Reed restarted from the 19th position and had made it up to 16th by the next caution with 16 laps to go. With nine laps left in the Zippo 200, Reed was up to the 12th position and was running his fastest lap times of the day when he was involved in an incident. The contact with another car and a guardrail destroyed the right-front of his Ford Mustang, relegating him to a 30th-place finish.
Reed remains 10th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings after Saturday’s race. Reed and the No. 16 team return to the track on Saturday, August 15 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series competition with drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace. Now in its 28th season, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and producing multiple award-winning digital and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by Jack Roush, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, circle on Google+, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.
About The American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. For the past 75 years, our mission has been to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
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 broad and growing product portfolio 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.
