10/16/2015
Reed and Norris Look for Consistency at Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (October 14, 2015) – Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed returns to Kentucky Speedway this weekend with the chance to make it three-for-three in the win column in the ARCA Racing Series. After winning the Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway events earlier this season, Reed is poised to make it three-in-a-row.
While the pressure is on in the ARCA Racing Series, Reed’s main focus for the weekend will be his No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The 22-year old Bakersfield, Calif. native only has one previous start at the track.
While Reed is inexperienced at the track, his crew chief Chad Norris has six XFINITY Series races at the track under his belt. For their first time working together at the track, Reed will rely on Norris’ experience to help the Kansas Speedway novice get around the 1.5-mile oval.
“It’s been four or five weeks already that I have been working with Chad and it takes some time to build that chemistry,” said Reed. “We are really starting to figure things out about each other – what I like in the race car and how I need to tell him that. I’m learning how to communicate better with him and that’s shown in our performance the past few weeks and will continue to this weekend at Kansas.”
Norris has served as crew chief in the XFINITY Series for six races at Kansas since 2005, recording one top-5 and 4 top-10 finishes with drivers Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Trevor Bayne, and Travis Pastrana behind the wheel.
Reed finished 12th in his first appearance at the track in 2014 after starting 14th. He is slated to complete 450 miles at the 1.5-mile oval between the two races at Kansas Speedway this weekend.
“Our team has really learned a lot about these high speed, high grip race tracks so I’m excited to get on track in both series this weekend,” said Reed. “I feel like we are really getting some momentum built up and this can be a really good race for us.”
Reed will start the weekend off with an ARCA Racing Series practice on Friday morning followed by NASCAR XFINITY Series practice. The ARCA Racing Series will qualify at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, followed by NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice.
The ARCA Racing Series Full Throttle S’loonshine 98.9 from Kansas Speedway will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 on Friday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. CDT.
The following afternoon, Reed will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at 8 p.m. CDT. The race will air live on NBC Sports Network and MRN.
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.
