Roush Fenway Racing rookie of the year contender Ryan Reed ran a solid race Saturday evening at Kentucky Speedway, improving five positions in the closing 30 laps of the race to cross the finish line 11th in the No. 16 American Diabetes Association Drive to Stop DiabetesSMpresented by Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang.
“This team battled hard all day,” said Reed. “We were definitely stronger on the shorter run, so the late race cautions played into our favor. The team worked hard all night, and we had solid pit stops. I was driving as hard as I could to try and get a top-10, but we’ll take 11th.”
After a Saturday afternoon qualifying session, Reed started the 200-Lap, 300-Mile race at the 1.5-mile Speedway from 16th. During the opening run, Reed informed the team that his Mustang was too free. Crew Chief Seth Barbour took the opportunity to adjust on the handling when the caution flag flew on Lap 23. The pit crew bolted on four fresh Goodyear tires, added fuel and made a chassis adjustment.
On the following run, Reed radioed to the team that he was still much too loose to gain ground on the leaders. Another chance to adjust on the handling came during a Lap 69 caution period. Barbour called for four tires and fuel, along with a track bar adjustment and two spring rubbers out of the right rear.
Reed continued to battle a car that was too loose on entry and too tight on exit for the remainder of the race. In the closing 30 laps, Reed gained five positions to cross the finish line in 11th. With the result he remains ninth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings.
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