Ryan Reed heads into the 2017 season-opener at Daytona International Speedway looking to get back into Daytona victory lane and secure a position in the 2017 playoffs. Reed, who won the 2015 Daytona race, enters his fourth full-time season behind the wheel of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang.
“It’s awesome to be able to say my first win was at Daytona, but I think winning here twice would mean even more to me and the team and I’m ready to get back to victory lane,” said Reed. “We’ve been working hard this offseason and I can’t wait to get the season started.”
Reed has earned one win, three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes over his three previous seasons in the XFINITY Series. In 2016 he qualified for the playoff field in its first year in the XFINITY Series. Reed advanced two rounds before being knocked out of the final playoff round – finishing out the 2016 season sixth in the XFINITY Championship Standings.
Reed made his Monster Energy Series Cup debut in October of 2016 at Talladega Superspeedway and earned the respect of competitors in that series. Reed started the race 18th and kept his No. 99 Lilly Diabetes Ford out of trouble the entire race and crossed the finish line 26th.
The 2017 season will be Reed’s second season with Phil Gould as his crew chief. Gould has a lot of experience in the XFINITY Series and the duo look to build on their momentum from 2016.
Reed was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2011 and told he would never race again. Through perseverance, working with his doctors and making healthy lifestyle choices he has been able to be competitive at NASCAR’s top level and compete for wins on a weekly basis.
The beginning of February marked a milestone in Reed’s diabetes journey. His six-year ‘diaversary,’ the date he was diagnosed with diabetes, was on February 7th.
“It’s hard to believe that just six years ago my life changed forever,” said Reed. “I went from being told I would never race again because of my diabetes to winning Daytona. It’s been a whirlwind, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to show so many people that it’s possible to live well with diabetes and still reach your goals.”
Reed’s goal for 2017 is to win races, but more importantly – contend for the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series kick off the 2017 season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 25th at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN.
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