BROOKLYN, Mich. – When the checkered flag was flown in the rain-shortened LTi Printing 250 at Michigan International Speedway Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t all that surprising to see Ryan Reed finish inside the top-five.
Especially since the NASCAR Xfinity Series honed for the second consecutive race an aerodynamic package similar to what the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series showcased during the All-Star race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway last month.
The package uses front air ducts, restrictor-plates, large rear spoilers and splitters used from 2014. Together, the packaged lowered speeds, kept the cars close together on the track, and by most accounts, increased passing.
Anytime you think or use the word restrictor-plate inside the Xfinity Series garage, Reed’s name becomes predominant as a pre-race favorite.
And for good reason. Both of his Xfinity Series wins have come at plate tracks with his latest win in 2017 coming in dramatic fashion.
While the field was set by owner’s points after rain soaked the two-mile speedway earlier in the day, Reed strapped in his No. 16 Drive Down A1C | Lilly Diabetes Ford with a plan to go to the front.
It didn’t take long.
The Bakersfield, Calif. native quickly muscled his race car to the front and when the checkered flag flew in Stage 1, Reed had hustled to third.
Maintaining his presence at the front, Reed kept his Ford within sights of the lead and utilized pit strategy to finish third at the end of Stage 2 to earn some much-needed Playoff points.
With weather threatening to end the race prematurely, Reed tried to make his race-winning move on a late-race restart. Swiping the lead from Austin Dillon on Lap 76, Reed controlled the field for one lap before being shuffled back in the running order.
While teammates proved to be the winning formula at the end, Reed soldiered to a fourth-place result, his second top-five since finishing third in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February.
The 24-year-old contributed his successful day to his Roush Fenway Racing team his team for treating Saturday’s race like a Daytona or Talladega.
“I think just being smart and knowing where the momentum is going. I lot of credit goes to my spotter, Herm, he spots for Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) and he does a great job. He has had a lot of plate racing success with Ricky’s two wins and my two wins at Daytona,” said Reed.
Then also to Roush Fenway who brings really good Ford Mustangs here. Everyone on this team did a really good job all weekend”
With his fourth top-10 finish of the season and first since Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April, Reed said he had fun – but also hinted that his team won’t give up at tracks where their performance lacks.
“Thanks to Lily Diabetes,” added Reed. “This was a lot of fun. When we have fast race cars and go to the tracks we know we are good at it is a lot of fun and we need to make that kind of progress on the tracks we aren’t so close on.”
Sitting 10th in the Xfinity points – above the cutoff for the post-season Playoffs, Reed is focused on the future where the goal remains the same to win races and contend for the championship and believes he has the components to fuse everything together.
“We have a really good team,” Reed sounded.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01
