Reed Finishes 27th in his first start at the Monster Mile

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In: Xfinity Series News

Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) rookie Ryan Reed made his first NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start Saturday at Dover International Speedway, a track nicknamed the Monster Mile.  Reed maintained his position inside the top-15 for much of the race, until an accident collected the No. 16 American Diabetes Association Drive to Stop DiabetesSM presented by Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang, relegating the team to a 27th-place finish. 

“I’m proud of this whole Drive to Stop Diabetes team,” said Reed.  “They worked hard all weekend.  We didn’t get the result we were looking for, but we’ll learn from it and move on to Michigan.”

Saturday morning’s qualifying session netted the No. 16 team a 15th-place starting position for the afternoon’s 200-lap, 200-mile race.

When the green flag dropped under sunny skies, Reed began to work his way forward.  The team opted to come down pit road during the first caution period of the day on Lap 17.  The No. 16 Ford Mustang was too loose on the opening run, so Crew Chief Seth Barbour called for four tires, fuel and a spring rubber adjustment.

On the next green flag run, Reed informed the crew that his car was still too free.  He held strong in the top-15, until the caution flag flew again on Lap 76, giving the team another chance to adjust on the handling.  This time Barbour called for four tires and fuel along with wedge and track bar adjustments.

The adjustments proved to be too much, swinging the car over to the tight side.  Barbour radioed to his rookie driver to hold tight until the next pit stop.  On Lap 142 the team got another opportunity to work on the car, taking four tires and fuel along with chassis and air pressure adjustments.

Shortly after the green flag dropped to restart the race, Reed was involved in an accident with the No. 99 machine.  The No. 16 team was forced to come down pit road multiple times to fix the damage.  Reed ultimately crossed the finish line in 27th. 

Reed now ranks 12th in the NNS standings, three points outside of the top-10.  After a weekend off, the NNS will return to action at Michigan International Speedway.

RFR PR

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