Ryan Reed Crosses the Finish Line 18th at Atlanta

On the heels of his win in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Reed earned a 10th-place starting spot in his No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang.  Over the course of the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway the handling went from extremely tight to loose, resulting in an 18th-place finish.   

“I don’t know what really happened there,” said Reed following the race.  “Our Lilly Diabetes Mustang started off good, a little tight, but decent.  By the end of the race it was extremely loose.  We’ll look at things this week at the shop and be ready to get back where we should be in Vegas.”

Reed made the final round of qualifying, earning a 10th-place starting position Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  In the opening stage the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang was too tight, costing Reed a few positions.  Reed finished up stage one 13th and with the help of his pit crew started stage two ninth.

The tight handling condition continued to worsen over stage two despite air pressure and wedge adjustments.  In the final stage of the race the team took a big swing with handling to the Lilly Diabetes Ford and the handling went from one extreme to the other.  Reed brushed the wall in the closing run due to the loose handling condition, but was able to hang on to cross the finish line 18th.

RFR PR