Roush Fenway Racing duo readies to replicate Daytona February finish

February in Daytona was a total team effort for Roush Fenway Racing.

RFR drivers Ryan Reed, 21, and Chris Buescher, 22, showed experience beyond their years in the season-opening Alert Today Florida 300 at Daytona International Speedway, finishing 1-2 on a track that often proves challenging to young drivers.

On the final lap of the race, Reed and Buescher were running third and fourth, respectively. Drafting together, Buescher pushed Reed past the leader, 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. Buescher tried to maneuver around Reed on the backstretch, but failed to do so, finishing .089 seconds behind his teammate as the runner-up.

“Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, was told I would never drive a racecar again, and now I’m standing in Victory Lane at Daytona with Roush Fenway,” said Reed, after crossing the finish line. “Oh my god, we won Daytona!”

Following the race, Buescher discussed the importance of their finish to RFR and his excitement for Reed.

“For our organization this is huge,” he said. “I am so proud to get Ryan his first win first off. That is a huge accomplishment and to do it here, I am extremely happy for him.”

Reed and Buescher will attempt to bring another Daytona trophy back to the RFR shop after Saturday’s Subway Firecracker 250 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network).

Buescher enters the race on a roll. The Texan has built a hefty 29-point lead over Ty Dillon in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings by logging eight top-10 finishes in the last 10 starts. He has also notched two wins – at Iowa and Dover – in his last five races.

“We have a good superspeedway program at Roush Fenway,” Buescher said. “I just need to try to position myself in a good spot at the end of the race to get a win.”

Reed has struggled since his Daytona victory, failing to finish in the top 10 since then. However, he has proven he can navigate the 2.5-mile track with a fourth-place finish there last summer, as well as an 18th-place showing after starting 39th in the 2014 opener.

“I will always be excited to head back to Daytona after getting my first win there in February,” Reed said. “Our cars are traditionally fast at restrictor plate tracks so hopefully we will be racing with our teammates for the win again come Saturday night. It would be so amazing to sweep the season at Daytona and that’s just what we intend to do.”