With 50 Starts Under His Belt, Reed Looks for Gains in Sophomore Season

Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed made his 50th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, a milestone that the 21-year-old Bakersfield, Calif. native was told he would never reach after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2011.

Reed fought adversity to get back in the racecar and overcame a lackluster rookie season in 2014 to start the 2015 season off with a win at Daytona and seven top-15 finishes. 

“I was a little caught off guard when I found out Charlotte was going to be my 50th start,” said Reed. “I feel like I was just making my first start at Richmond not too long ago. I’m so proud of how far (crew chief) Seth (Barbour) and I have come since last season and the stats definitely show how hard the whole team has been working.”

Reed’s race statistics have improved drastically compared to this point in the 2014 season. His average running position, start and finish have all improved since this time last season. He has spent over 50 percent of all laps run inside the top 15. Additionally, his driver rating has improved by almost eight points, up to 79.9 from 72.4 in 2014.

Perhaps the most significant improvement is Reed’s performance in the closing laps of this season’s races. He ranks fifth among all drivers in positions gained over the last 10 percent of a race so far in 2015, up from 55th at this point in 2014. 

Despite recording his first win in the series and showing improvements in the stat books, Reed still expects more from himself and the team.

“I would give ourselves a grade of B-minus for this season only because I know where we can be. We are still figuring some stuff out that will take us to the next level and put us in the A category. If we can get the ball rolling soon we hope to be in contention for the championship when we get to Homestead.”

Reed is currently eighth in the championship standings heading into this weekend’s race in Dover, three positions better than this time last season. He and teammate Chris Buescher are the only NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars to win a race so far in 2015.

Reed will take to the track at Dover International Speedway this weekend for two practice sessions on Friday, May 29 and start the day off Saturday, May 30 with group qualifying.

RFR PR