08/20/2016
Mid-Race Incident Leads to 35th-Place Finish for Reed at Bristol
Bristol, TN – Aug 19, 2016: Ryan Reed (16) gets ready to qualify for the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 20, 2016) – Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association team finished 35th on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) after starting 22nd and getting caught up in an incident on Lap 150, putting them in the garage for lengthy repairs.
“I know our bad luck is just typical Bristol, but it’s just so frustrating to have something like that happen that you can’t control,” said Reed. “Once we replaced the whole rear end we were running our fastest lap times of the race. It makes it that much more frustrating when you know your car is so good but you aren’t able to make up any ground. We will move on to Road America next week and look to rebound.”
Reed started from the 22nd position on Friday evening, but quickly made his way up to the 17th position by Lap 6. He dropped back to 22nd by Lap 32 and said the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang needed grip. He made it back up to 19th by the caution on Lap 74, when the team had their first opportunity to make adjustments. Crew chief Phil Gould brought Reed down pit road on Lap 78 for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Reed restarted 15th on Lap 82.
Reed maintained the 15th position until the halfway point of the race at Lap 150. At that time, a car in front of Reed blew a tire, collecting Reed in the accident and sending him down pit road to assess the damage. While the damage to the left-rear of the car was visible, Reed also reported that it felt like something was severely broken in the rear of the car. The team sent Reed to the garage to replace a broken truck arm in the rear of the No. 16 Ford Mustang.
Reed returned the track on Lap 170, 21 laps down, but only completed one lap before reporting that the problem was not fixed. The team brought Reed back to the garage and replaced the entire rear-end of the car. He returned to the track in the 36th position on Lap 233, just as the caution flag was displayed. Reed restarted in that position with 60 laps to go, before the caution wa displayed again four laps later.
The field restarted with 50 to go while Reed was scored 35th. At this time, he was running top-10 lap times and reported to Gould that the car at that time was the best car he had ever had at BMS. With 20 laps to go, the caution was displayed again. The team did not pit, and restarted 35th, 82 laps down with 14 laps to go.
Reed maintained his track position and continued to run fast lap times through the last caution period with four laps to go, which sent the race into overtime. The field made their final restart on Lap 305, allowing Reed to cross the finish line 35th.
After BMS, Reed remains 10th in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings.
Reed and the rest of the NASCAR XFINITY Series will be back on track on Saturday, August 27th at Road America.
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.
