DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2015) – With one full season in NASCAR’s XFINITY series under his belt, Ryan Reed returns to the site of his first career top-five finish and best finish of 2014 at the high banks of Daytona International Speedway with one goal in mind – consistency. Reed’s rookie season ended with a ninth-place finish in the point standings, but not the week-to-week outcome he and the team knew they were capable of achieving.
“It is obvious from our success last year at some of the toughest tracks on the circuit – Daytona and Talladega – that we have what it takes to run well in the XFINITY series,” said Reed. “Our goal is to finish in the top-10 every week and we know if we can do that then the wins will come. Having (crew chief) Seth (Barbour) and a lot of our same people back this season as well as the support of the American Diabetes Association and Lilly Diabetes will allow us to pick up and expand where we left off in 2014.”
Barbour returns to the role of crew chief for the 2015 season and is joined on the pit box by team engineer Katelyn Bernasconi. Bernasconi, a University of North Carolina – Charlotte engineering graduate and former racer herself, comes to Roush Fenway from her role as a project engineer in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The Barbour-led team will take to the track for two practice sessions on Friday, Feb. 20 and start the day off Saturday, Feb. 21 with group qualifying. NASCAR amended the rules for the XFINITY Series’ group qualifying format this week, cutting the originally allotted time for each session in half. The No. 16 team will prepare to make it through all three sessions and secure a top starting spot for Saturday’s afternoon race.
“We hope that the qualifying draw will put us in a group with our teammates so that we can work together in the draft,” said Barbour. “We expect that with the sessions being shortened to just two and a half minutes that we will only have time to run two laps. It will be important for us to post a fast qualifying lap to have a good starting position on Saturday and avoid being collected in any early-race incidents.”
Reed’s experience on restrictor plate tracks has been minimal but impressive. He led a total of 29 laps in Talladega’s May race in addition to his fourth-place start and finish in Daytona’s July race. Saturday’s race will be Reed’s third race at Daytona and fourth at a restrictor plate track.
Qualifying for Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY series race will air on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener from DIS will air on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series competition with drivers Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace. Now in its 28th season, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and producing multiple award-winning digital and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by Jack Roush, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, circle on Google+, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.
About The American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes® and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world’s first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued determination to provide real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—we strive to make life better for all those affected by diabetes around the world. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com or follow us on Twitter: @LillyDiabetes.
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