RoVA-Drive Showcase: Bryan Reedy

There is a big garage on the edge of a pleasant and quiet neighborhood in northwest Roanoke County. In that garage a handful of people gathered to work on a race car. Beyond that, the house is similar to the others. There is no other indication that there is anything going on any different from the other homes beyond that big garage. It’s just those racetrack people at the end of the street. They’re good people. Pleasant neighbors and all that…

There is a common stereotype when it comes to “race” people. Old cars in various states of repair sitting in weeds or up on blocks and odd folks coming and going with bits of other cars and driving things barely beyond a salvage yard…

That may fit some. Not so much for Tink Reedy. Nice man. Nice home. Nice yard. There just happens to be a racing car in a big garage. The car is driven by third generation racer Bryan Reedy. Bryan, Tink’s son, took a wheel as his father stepped away. The Late Model #17 is being prepped for the season opening race at Motor Mile Speedway.

Bryan was no stranger to the track. He had been coming with his father and working in the pit crew. He began driving the Mod-4 series in 2007 and grabbed some wins along the way. He also won some in Limited Sportsman. He ran well enough for a third in points at Motor Mile in Late Model in 2017. Reedy and the white and striped #17 was doing well that same year at Martinsville in the Valley Star 300 when it stopped… Suddenly. With nowhere to go but the wall with other cars spinning in front of him Reedy and the #17 were done for the night.

The car was broken and Motor Mile, the home track, was down for a re-think on future racing for 2018… Without a “home track” it was a slow fix on the car. However, it was fixed and ready for Motor Mile when they set the 2019 schedule.

Reedy is simply doing what his father did. Race cars. His grandfather, Orvil, raced and made some runs in the NASCAR Busch Series. His father, Tink, raced to championships at Franklin County and Motor Mile (New River Valley Speedway).

Bryan is friendly, open and unassuming. During a chat at the garage, while changes were being made to the #17 after some practice laps at Motor Mile, Reedy was happy to talk about racing and the new season. He just wants to race, see his friends at the track and run as well as he can. He has many reasons to be looking forward.

First and foremost, he has respect for the sport and his fellow drivers. Bryan made it clear that he knows what the teams put in their cars off the track and the investment of time and money it takes. He takes that with him as he climbs behind the wheel to race. Racing clean and respecting his equipment, and that of the other drivers, is something he takes to heart.

His family and friends… In the garage was his father, Tink. Tink Reedy, despite no longer driving, is still pretty quick. To see him move whenever there was a chance he was in a camera shot was reminiscent of Speedy Ganzales. (A “Speedy” sticker is on the #17, a carryover from the same on some of Tink’s cars) Also in the garage, more precisely, shoulders deep in the suspension of the car, was Clay Highberger. Clay is an “old school” mechanic who knows the #17 like Commander Scott knows the USS Enterprise. He knows racing and he knows cars and beyond the Reedy team also does some wrenching for some dirt track racers.

Sponsors… Without them it’s simply not possible to put a competitive car on the track. For 2019, Bryan scored top 10s and top 5s following a rocky start of the season. 2020 was a bit strange with Motor Mile down yet again for Covid restrictions. Bryan ran at Dominion, Ace and Franklin County during 2020… All the while being conscious of the health guidelines in place. Despite all of that, he did drive to win at Franklin County putting the Reedy name in Victory Lane where his father held a championship. The sponsors rode along to help make it happen.

The car has influences from Bryan’s father. He had changed some of the scheme for a couple of seasons but for 2021 is back to the stripe and color configuration he ran in 2017. His father and Clay said they liked that look better, anyway. The style of the “17” itself is the same type style his Dad ran with.

Bryan is a devoted family man and his daily job keeps servers and computers running smoothly at the community college. By all measure he is your average fellow making a way for his family. Racing just happens to be a thing he enjoys and the family has known for a long time.

Will there be a fourth generation of racers…? Time will tell. His sons are racing karts.

For now, it’s a new season with the challenges of getting the car ready and keeping it in shape to race again. He has lots of support behind him from family, friends and sponsors.

He did point out… There is room on the car for more. The car is white. Sponsor logos really pop on a white car. Interested…?

For more – Visit Bryan Reedy Racing online