By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
A trip to the Irish Hills of Michigan netted Ryan Reed one of his best results of 2018.
The Californian overcame a 15th-place starting position after qualifying was rained out and surged to a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s LTi Printing 250 at Michigan International Speedway. The result was Reed’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series top five of 2018, tying his career-best top five total from 2017.
Reed’s strong run came in a form of racing that proved similar to the package that brought him two victories at Daytona International Speedway in 2015 and ’17. The Xfinity Series utilized a special high-downforce restrictor-plate package at Michigan, following a similar trial in a June 2 race at Pocono Raceway.
“I think just being smart and knowing where the momentum is going got us a great finish today,” Reed said. A 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.”
The package kept the field packed more tightly together than in a traditional Michigan race, and Reed took advantage to rise to the front.
The sixth-year Roush Fenway Racing driver maneuvered his No. 16 Ford through the field to claim a third-place result in Stage 1. The ensuing set of pit stops mired him back in 12th, but Reed again drove through the field to end Stage 2 in third.
Saturday’s final stage proved hectic, with teams battling both each other and incoming inclement weather. The intense action led to three crashes in the opening 30 laps of Stage 2 prior to a fourth and final caution for rain on Lap 90.
Reed found himself in fourth when the caution flew. The moisture prove too severe to overcome, ending the event one lap later.
While rain ultimately yielded Reed’s fourth-place result, his No. 16 Ford showed pace it hadn’t often in recent weeks. The 25-year-old’s two third-place stage finishes each tied his best result of the year, and his fourth-place run overall was second only to Daytona (third) on the year.
“Everyone on this team did a really good job all weekend,” Reed said. “Thanks to Lilly Diabetes. 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. We have a really good team.”
Reed’s run also did wonders for his playoff hopes. His 49 points scored were the most of any Xfinity Series regular, bumping the veteran up to an 87-point gap on Ryan Sieg and the current postseason bubble.