Ryan Reed
CREW CHIEF: Phil Gould
TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
POINTS: 6th
WINS: 0
LAPS LED: 8
TOP 5s: 1 (5th, Road America)
TOP 10s: 7 (single season career best)
POLES: 0
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Reed had the best of his three full-time seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While he didn’t earn a win like he did in 2015, he had one top-5 and set a single-season best for top-10s (7, when his previous high was just one). He also qualified for the inaugural Xfinity Series Chase and finished a career-best sixth. He also had season bests in average start (14.3) and average finish (15.6).
WHAT WENT WRONG: While he significantly improved in overall top-10s, Reed struggled much of the season to get to the front of the field. In fact, he led just eight laps in the entire 33 races, and all eight of those laps led came in one race (spring event at Talladega). … He also struggled in finishing on the lead lap: in 33 races, he finished on the lead lap just 16 times (second-worst effort of his three-years in the series). … He also saw a significant drop in laps completed. While he completed 5,986 in 2015 and 5,969 in 2014, he completed just 5,346 in 2016.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2017: Reed returns to the No. 16 team for a fourth season with pretty much everything intact, including sponsorship (American Diabetes Association/Lilly) and crew chief (Phil Gould). Look for Reed to continue improving at his craft, but he definitely needs to become more consistent when it comes to running at the front of the pack and to earn more wins and top-fives.
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