03/25/2017
Reed Earns 15th-Place Finish in Front of Hometown Crowd at Fontana
FONTANA, Calif. (March 25, 2017) –Ryan Reed started the race 15th in front of his hometown crowd and made the right adjustments throughout the race to secure a solid finish, but extra time on pit road on the final stop to fix a tire rub due to contact, cost him valuable track position. Despite the extra time on pit road, Reed was able to earn a 15th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway.
“It was kind of a long day,” said Reed following the race. “We were never all that great, but towards the end we made our way up towards 12th and then the No. 33 wrecked in front of us and clipped us. We didn’t have that much damage, but they fixed it on that last stop and there were only a few laps to go when we went back green, so we restarted 25th or something. It just wasn’t very good luck.”
Reed posted the 15th-fastest lap Friday morning, setting himself up with a solid starting position for 150-laps. During the first of three stages, Reed battled a loose Mustang, but despite the handling, was able to make up a little ground on the track.
Reed kicked off stage two in the 11th position, but his No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang struggled on restarts and lacked grip. At the first opportunity to pit, the team serviced his Mustang with four tires, fuel, an air pressure adjustment and shock adjustment. The change helped on the ensuing restart, but Reed still needed a little more grip.
Over the course of the final stage, Reed was able to crack the top 10, but on a caution with nine laps to go, the No. 33 spun out in front of him knocking in the fender. Reed came down pit road 13th, but due the extended pit stop set him up 21st for the restart with six laps remaining. Reed was able to make up some ground and ultimately crossed the finish line in the 15th position.
The XFINITY Series will be off next weekend, but will pick back up again on Saturday, April 8, at Texas Motor Speedway.
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.
