Roush Fenway Racing rookie of the year contender Ryan Reed and the No. 16 American Diabetes Association Drive to Stop DiabetesSM presented by Lilly Diabetes team ran strong in Friday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with Reed earning his 15th top-15 finish of the season, coming home in 15th.
“I thought the weekend was one of our better efforts from the time we unloaded,” said Reed. “We all worked together well and we learned a lot. I felt like we were only a couple of adjustments away from being a top-10 car, but all in all we’ll learn from it and I still think there’s some momentum there to be built on.”
Reed qualified ninth earlier on Friday afternoon for the 200-Lap, 300-Mile NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race. Early in the race, Reed settled into the top-20, battling a car that was free in traffic and tight by itself.
The 21-year-old driver visited pit road for the first time on Lap 59 under green flag conditions, opting for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help the handling. Green flag stops did not cycle through before the caution flag fell, which trapped Reed two laps down.
Crew Chief Seth Barbour utilized a strong pit strategy that involved taking the wave around during two separate caution periods to get Reed back on the lead lap. The team continued to work on the handling for the remainder of the race, ultimately crossing the finish line in 15th.
With the result, Reed ranks ninth in the NNS point standings. The NNS returns to action after two weeks off at Texas Motor Speedway.
RFR PR
- Young’s Motorsports Dover Motor Speedway Xfinity Team Preview - April 26, 2024
- Kofoid’s Rookie Campaign with Roth Motorsports Starting Strong - April 26, 2024
- Morton Buildings Racing: Ryan Preece Dover Advance - April 26, 2024