Boston Reid Making NASCAR Debut at RIR

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 9, 2004) – Boston Reid’s dream is becoming reality this week at Richmond International Raceway. Driving the No. 87 ditech.com Chevrolet, Reid, one of Hendrick Motorsports' trio of developmental drivers, will enter his first career NASCAR Busch Series event Friday, marking his fourth-ever stock-car start at any level. And while the Logansport, Ind., native will be making his NASCAR debut at Richmond, Friday’s 250-lapper will not be the first action he’s seen on the .75-mile oval. Driving in USAC’s Silver Crown division on June 26, Reid was running in the fifth position before being sidelined by an accident with four laps remaining, finishing a disappointing 21st at RIR. The cars, Reid says, have some distinct differences. “The Silver Crown has much wider right-side tires, so you can really lean on them and abuse them,” he said. “If you mess up -- overdrive the corner or something like that -- you can make that up pretty easily. “With the stock cars, you’re limited to such a small right-side tire that the room for error is much less, plus you’ve got a lot more weight on those tires.” A veteran of the sprint ranks, Reid says the cars may be unique, but any additional time on the tricky Richmond oval still helps, especially considering his stock experience consists of just three ARCA Series events -- all top-10 finishes -- and five separate testing sessions. “No matter what kind of car, there’s an advantage to just being on the race track,” Reid said. “You’ve got that mental picture, so you know where the passing opportunities are and know what the groove does. It’s helped already because I had that picture in my head before we went to test. “It’s a huge advantage to be able to run any kind of car at a race track before running there in a Busch car.” Another confidence boost for the 21-year-old Reid came at a successful two-day test at Richmond last month. The extra seat time helped get him accustomed to the bulkier stock cars. “We had a good test,” he said. “The first day was just getting me used to the cars and adapted to the race track in a different type of car. “I ran Silver Crown at Richmond in the spring, so we concentrated on getting me used to the different line, the car turning quicker and being heavier. We were able to do that, then come back the second day and get in a good rhythm.” Hendrick Motorsports and NEMCO Motorsports have formed a developmental alliance for the 2004 season, making is possible for Reid to drive NEMCO’s No. 87 Busch Series entry at Richmond, along with upcoming events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. “It’s awesome to finally have this opportunity to compete at such an elite level,” Reid said. “I’ve always thought about it and pictured it, and now it’s finally happening. I just want to go out and have a good showing. “Yeah, there’s pressure, but I have a great supporting cast in Hendrick Motorsports and NEMCO, so I know the equipment will be great. “It’s a dream come true.”