Ryan Reed Poised for Strong Phoenix Finish

Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Ryan Reed has been the surprise of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season so far.

The 23-year-old Roush Fenway Racing driver won the season-opener at Daytona and sits second in the points standings – four points behind Elliott Sadler – following his ninth-place finish at Las Vegas.

Reed will continue his run at the top spot in Saturday’s DC Solar 200 at Phoenix Raceway at 4 pm ET on FOX. He finished sixth in the fall race there last year.

“Phoenix is obviously a really cool race track and I think a lot of drivers like it, being one of the few short tracks,” Reed said. “For me, being on the west coast is that much more special. I have a ton of family every time I go out there. I watched my Dad race there growing up and last year at the second Phoenix race we had one of our best races of the year, qualifying third and finishing sixth. I have a lot of confidence going to Phoenix and I’m looking for another good run.”

Ryan Reed a Role Model as Spokesman for Lilly Diabetes

Ryan Reed, driver of the #16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 3, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Roush Fenway Racing driver may not consider himself a role model, but his sponsor certainly does.

The winner of the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY Series event at Daytona for the second time in three years, Reed visited Atlanta media center on Friday to participate in the announcement of Lilly Diabetes as the “Official Diabetes Health Partner of NASCAR.”

Reed himself has overcome the limitations of Type I diabetes to establish a successful racing career. Continue reading

Patient Kurt Busch Wins Wild Daytona 500—Without Looking Back

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His car damaged in a wreck on the backstretch and held together with tape, Kurt Busch grabbed the lead on the final lap of the 59th Daytona 500 on Sunday and took the checkered flag in the Great American Race as a capstone to a checkered career that has trended upward since Busch joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.

In a race that featured the first test of a new three-stage race format in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—and featured enough twisted sheet metal to keep fabricators busy for a month—Busch surged to the front with a run around the outside when more than half the vehicles in an 11-car lead draft sputtered and ran short on fuel.

Having pushed other drivers to victory in the 500 on three previous occasions, Busch took the prize himself this time, finishing 0.228 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney, who came from the rear of the lead pack on the final two laps. Continue reading

Ryan Reed Gets Second NASCAR XFINITY Win where he Got the First–Daytona

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For Ryan Reed, there’s magic in the air at the Birthplace of Speed.

Reed went to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway in February 2015 and hadn’t won since—until Saturday night, when he held off Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran Kasey Kahne in overtime to claim victory in the Powershares QQQ 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener.

With the race going four laps past its scheduled distance of 120 laps, and with the series running NASCAR’s new three-stage event format for the first time, Reed blocked Kahne in turn two on the first of two overtime laps and stalled his momentum. Continue reading

As Season Begins, Bubba Wallace is Under Pressure to Perform

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Darrell Wallace Jr. poses for a photo during the NASCAR 2017 Media Tour at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. is under pressure this season—and not just the sort of natural butterflies a driver feels when he suits up and climbs into the cockpit before a race.

Wallace is racing in the face of unknowns, trusting that a strong performance in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford will prolong his tenure in the car. Continue reading