CONCORD, Nc — Ryan Reed made an impressive appearance in his ARCA Racing Series debut with Venturini Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway on February 18th, 2012.
After being told last year that he would never race again with his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D), Reed started on the outside front row with the no.15 JDRF car.
Reed initially qualified in the third position, but with the disqualification of the original pole sitter due to an engine inspection failure after qualifying, Reed was automatically moved into the second qualifying position.
Reed admitted slight disappointment in finishing 12th after running second the majority of the race.
“It was a great day overall. I learned a lot as a driver and got great exposure with JDRF on board,” said Reed. “Venturini Motorsports worked really hard to prepare me with such a great car and the way we finished didn’t show how well we ran all weekend, but that happens in racing.”
When the green flag dropped, the 18-year old rookie found himself racing in the top-10 until the first caution lap. The team took advantage of the early caution and made a pit stop for fuel on lap 9.
After restarting in the 12th position, Reed drove his way back up to second. He maintained his position just behind the leader for the next 50 consecutive laps before running out of fuel on lap 68.
“My crew chief and I knew we were going to pit early and planned on a lot of cautions during the race. But the race ran green for most of it and we ended up running short on our fuel mileage,” said Reed.
Reed and his team made a fuel only pit stop, but the pit stop ran long due to trouble refiring the car, forcing the no. 15 to restart in the 24th position.
Avoiding a multicar crash on the last lap and passing six cars in the green-white-checkered finish, Ryan Reed and his team rebounded to a 12th place finish. He couldn't complain about speed, as he was second for most of the race.
Ryan Reed will make his second ARCA Racing Series appearance at Mobile International Speedway on March 10, 2012.
Official: www.RyansMission.org | Twitter @driverRyanReed | Facebook: Ryan Reed
About Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars in the ARCA Racing Series, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. The 2012 season marks the teams 30th Anniversary of competition in the ARCA Series. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports.
Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Steve Arpin, Brian Scott, Max Gresham, Miguel Paludo, Josh Richards, Ryan Blaney, and Scott Lagasse, Jr.
