Ryan Reed Earns Top-10 Finish in 100th NASCAR XFINITY Series Start
10/02/2016

Ryan Reed Earns Top-10 Finish in 100th NASCAR XFINITY Series Start

DOVER, Del. (Oct. 2, 2016) – Ryan Reed celebrated his 100th NASCAR XFINITY Series start with a 10th-place finish Sunday at Dover International Raceway.  Reed’s solid run in his No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Mustang has him fifth in the Chase Grid heading into the first Chase cutoff race next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I think everyone has those days where we’re off and the crew chief makes a call that bails them out, and that was today for me,” said Reed.  “On that long green flag run we were on worn out tires and had a little bit of fuel left and we needed a caution for it to all work out.  We had taken our set of tires earlier on, so for it to work out we really needed a caution.  He just kept me focused and kept me up on the wheel.  I think at that point it’s easy to just start going into conservation mode, but he kept me getting all I could out of the car on that long green and it worked out.”

Rain on Saturday cut qualifying short.  Reed would have advanced to round two, but due to the rain was left with a 22nd-place starting position.  The heavy mist continued all afternoon Saturday, there was an attempt at starting the race but the field could never take the green, moving the NASCAR XFINITY Series race to Sunday morning.

Reed steadily advanced through the field despite saying his Mustang was free in the center and tight on exit.  His first opportunity to pit came under the competition caution on lap 36, where he received four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

The loose on entry condition continued and with long green flag runs Reed lost a lap to the leaders.  As the field cycled through their final round of green flag pit stops, Crew Chief Phil Gould waited as long as he could to call Reed down pit road.  The gamble paid off as the caution came out on lap 139 with Reed scored seventh.

Reed had raced his way back on the lead lap with the pit call by Gould.  On lap 143 Reed made his final pit stop for four tires, fuel, wedge and shim adjustments.  Reed restarted eighth on lap 151 and in the final laps lost two positions to cross the finish line 10th.

With the result, Reed is scored in fifth place in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Grid.  The cutoff to make the second round of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase is next Friday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

About the Drive to Stop Diabetes

The Drive to Stop Diabetes campaign strives to educate people about living well with diabetes. The campaign encourages the millions of Americans who have diabetes to talk about it with their doctor, family, and friends and to actively manage their health.

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.

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. Founded in 1940, the Association’s mission is 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 (800-342-2383) or visit diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.