NASCAR: Former full-time driver returns at Talladega for one-off race

Ryan Reed's most recent NASCAR start came nearly a year ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and his most recent Truck Series start came more than three years ago at Darlington Raceway.

Both hiatuses are set to end on Friday night at Talladega Superspeedway, with the 31-year-old Bakersfield, California native set to compete in the Love's RV Stop 225 for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet.

Reed has been a part of NASCAR racing for nearly a decade and a half, and he is perhaps best known for his superspeedway success in the Xfinity Series, which features two wins at Daytona International Speedway.

But Friday's 85-lap race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Lincoln, Alabama oval is set to mark his first ever superspeedway start in the Truck Series (he DNQed at Daytona in 2016). It is set to mark just his sixth ever start in the series, dating back to 2012.

Reed, who was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic in 2011, is sponsored by Tandem Diabetes Care. He spoke at length with us about the brand's involvement in his NASCAR journey and also touched on its unique technology, including the Tandem Mobi, that helps him manage his blood glucose levels.

"I think one of the things that is really cool about this, this is my third race together with Tandem, partnered up, and we’re starting to really build that continuity in the sport," Reed said to Beyond the Flag, regarding this weekend's No. 91 'Tandem Blue' Chevrolet Silverado RST.

"It’s not every week like some partners, or 15 races throughout the year or something like that, but I think the fans, and certainly the diabetes community, are having a lot of fun watching this Tandem/Ryan Reed combo get to the race track the last few years, so it’s awesome to work with them. They are just such a fantastic group of people, so passionate."

His October 2023 Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas came with sponsorship from Tandem, as did his May 2021 Truck Series start at Darlington.

"They work really hard to bring this to life, and it's a lot of work that goes into it," he continued. "So I can’t thank them enough for the dedication and the support to go have some fun. I think that with the relationship that I have with Tandem, it’s not just an on-track program. I wear their insulin pump, and I get to enjoy their amazing products, and I guess I get to experience their amazing products and all the ways that they make my life better by what they have done for the diabetes community.

"I think that’s a really cool relationship and connection that not a lot of drivers necessarily get to have with their partners in a lot of cases. So I’m very fortunate in that way."

There were a number of venues considered for Reed to make his Truck Series return, but he and the team decided on Talladega for a number of reasons.

"Bill McAnally and I started talking a few months ago," he stated. "There were a few races on the docket, and we talked about a number of them, and Talladega kind of seemed to make the most sense. I’ve had a lot of plate success in the past, mainly in the Xfinity Series."

Reed won at Daytona to open up both the 2015 and 2017 Xfinity Series seasons.

"I’ve never raced a plate track in anything besides an Xfinity car, and I guess a Cup car down here in Talladega, so a lot of good memories of Talladega, and it’s really going to be a lot of fun," he said. "I think we’re going to have a really fast truck. Bill McAnally has been building some obviously amazing race-winning trucks, so it’s a privilege to drive them, and I think if we are there, or around there, at the end, who knows what can happen?"

The No. 91 team has indeed been quick in 2024, with the entry sitting in 15th place in the owner standings with three top five finishes, including a runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway.

Tandem's impact

"Tandem Diabetes Care, they make insulin pumps, and I actually just migrated from the t:slim X2 over to their new Mobi system, which is really, really cool," Reed explained. "It is a tiny, tiny insulin pump, and you can put an adhesive patch on and actually wear it, like connected to your body, which is very unique and not something I’ve been able to do in the past."

Reed is truly connected to the brand he is representing, which isn't always necessarily the case when it comes to driver/sponsor relationships, and he is embracing that special connection that hits so close to home.

"I’m excited that they rolled that out, and that I have the ability to do that now," he continued. "But it’s also completely done through a mobile feature, so that's really great that I'm so integrated. We all are so integrated with our phones and technology that it's pretty cool to be able to have that compatibility.

"It's been a game changer for me since I switched to an insulin pump, but specifically the Tandem insulin pump, the freedom it gives me through my entire life. But I still train really aggressively throughout the year, and I think that that's probably the biggest thing that I feel like it has really improved my ability to train at a super high level and have a ton of support from my diabetes management through my Tandem Mobi system."

He spoke specifically about one of the struggles that Type 1 diabetics can have with sleep and how Tandem has worked wonders to alleviate those struggles for him personally.

"I think that that's probably the biggest thing," he said of the sleep technology. "It's got sleep modes that obviously assist when you're asleep. I think for folks with diabetes, they understand this, that sleep can be one of the most stressful times for people with diabetes.

"When you're awake and alert, you're making adjustments constantly, you know where your blood sugar's at, and it's all good. But then when you go to sleep, obviously there's concern: what if you have a high? What if you have a low? And to be able to know that you've got a kind of a little bit of a partner with you while you're sleeping, whether it's to shut down your basal rate or increase it, depending on whether it's high or low. Yeah, it's great. It's a great system."

Reed, who competed full-time in the Xfinity Series from 2014 to 2018, doesn't know what his NASCAR future holds beyond this weekend, but he is hopeful that he and Tandem can continue their partnership to get him back behind the wheel in the near future.

"Yeah, I certainly am just playing it by ear," he said. "My partners with Tandem Diabetes Care, just such great folks. They've been big supporters of mine over the last few years, and then obviously the different team owners who have allowed me to hop in their racing vehicles and work with the teams they've built. I'm thankful for each and every opportunity.

"You never know. I'm 31, been around the sport for a long time now, and I was able to race full-time for a long time, and I’m so thankful for the opportunities I've had. I hope there are more. It's something I'm very passionate about, it's a skillset that I have spent decades developing, and I think that I would love to continue to be able to use that skillset and go have fun, go tell a great story, and use the racing platform for a number of reasons, to chase my passion and to tell a story about living with this disease and being able to compete at a high level in a sport that's very challenging."

Last year's start was his first NASCAR start of any kind in two years, and it was his first Xfinity Series start in five, so he is used to the uncertainty. He is simply remaining focused on controlling what he can control, all while taking advantage of any opportunities that may creep up.

"But at the end of the day, I only can control a small, small piece of that," he continued. "It takes team owners, it takes obviously partners like I touched on, and so a lot of stuff has to culminate. It’s a ton of work for everyone involved, so I think that I approach each and every race with the mindset of ‘hey, this could be the last one’, and I while I hope it's not, I'm at peace with that, because it's been such a wild journey, and I've made so many great friendships and memories along the way.

"I think when I go into the race this weekend, as I drive down to Talladega right now, where my mind is at is just enjoy each and every moment, soak it in. I think that when I was racing full-time, a lot of this stuff just came and went. You're so caught up with trying to be the next Jeff Gordon, that these things, these small nuance things that are so cool and so special, they just kind of become your norm and you overlook them. But I think one of the cool things about where I'm at now is I'm able to really enjoy the entire process."

Reed likes his chances this weekend, given his past superspeedway success, even if he hasn't yet had that success in a truck.

"Yeah, I like them a lot," he admitted. "I really do. I think that you watch guys who, if they've not raced consistently, are able to show up and very quickly get back into their rhythm. I know Vegas last year took me a few laps, no doubt, to kind of settle in, but once I did, I had some pace, and before that, at Darlington when I raced for GMS, we found ourselves in the top 10 late in the race, and so I know that I'll settle in, and I know that we'll have a shot."

He again spoke to the strength of the team that signed him, and he knows that he can use that to his advantage when the green flag flies.

"I know the equipment is going to be phenomenal," Reed said. "What Bill McAnally has built there with all the the guys and girls who put those trucks together and take them to the race track, I know we're going to have the right parts and pieces and people to do it."

But with Talladega being a superspeedway, one never knows when the 'Big One' could strike, and Reed isn't getting too far ahead of himself.

"There are a lot of unknowns at Talladega," he concluded. "There are a lot of things that are out of your control. You can have a 15-truck pileup on lap five and nowhere to go, you get shoved into it, and that's your day. So I think any race car driver would tell you that going to a superspeedway for your one race of the year, it's cool because you know that if fortune favors you on that day, you know you can find yourself in victory lane.

"The downside is the same thing. There's so much that’s out of your control. If fortune doesn't favor you, it can be a tough afternoon, so just control what I can control, and if I do that, and things fall our way, we'll have a shot, no doubt."

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 5:00 p.m. ET this Friday, October 4 for the live broadcast of the Love's RV Stop 225 from Talladega Superspeedway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action!