By SaJorden Miller, Staff Writer
DGR-Crosley announced Wednesday, that Ryan Reed is back to racing and will pilot the team’s No. 17 Toyota Tundra in the March 1, 2019, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race in Las Vegas.
Reed has been living with Type One Diabetes (T1D) for several years and will have support from Dexcom, Inc. a leader in diabetes care and management. To monitor his glucose levels Reed uses Dexcom, Inc. products every day.
Most recently Reed competed full time in NASCAR XFINITY Series driving the No. 16 Lily Diabetes Ford Mustang with Roush Fenway Racing. Reed has an accomplished career in just over the last five seasons with two wins (both at Daytona International Speedway), seven top-five, and 26 top-ten finishes. Reed’s only Truck Series start occurred at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2012. At the one-and-a-half-mile track, Reed has seven XFINITY starts with a best finish of ninth-place.
Reed will have Kevin “Bono” Manion, a veteran crew chief calling the shots atop the pit box, and from the spotter stand it will be David Keither, a former Cup spotter.
“Ryan has a lot of experience behind the wheel,” said team co-owner David Gilliland in the DGR-Crosley team release. “We are thrilled to welcome him to our program at DGR-Crosley. Not only will he be an asset to our program and provide key feedback as we continue to grow and improve, but it’ll also be an advantage to our younger drivers to have someone with his experience as their teammate. We’re looking forward to getting Ryan and Bono paired up in Vegas – I think it’s going to be a really strong pairing.”
To assist Reed in keeping track of his glucose levels during all hours of the day, a Dexcom CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) will be installed in the No. 17 Toyota Tundra. This partnership has had a significant impact on Reed since being diagnosed with T1D at age 17 and allows him to race.
“I’m thankful to everyone who has played a part in getting me back behind the wheel of a racecar,” said Reed, in the team release. “Dexcom plays a huge part in my daily life and being able to manage my diabetes every day, and it’s cool to be able to connect them to another part of my life that I’m so passionate about. I was in Daytona over the weekend, and it was really disappointing to be there and not be racing. I’m thankful for Dexcom, David [Gilliland] and DGR-Crosley for giving me the opportunity to race again. This next part of my career is all about being competitive and being in equipment I know I can win in. I believe that DGR-Crosley is going to give me that opportunity at Vegas.”
Reed will join CGR-Crosley team members, Natalie Decker, and Anthony Alfredo. The teammates will take to the track, along with the rest of the field in the Strat 200 and can be watched on FS1 at 9 p.m. EST.