Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes American Diabetes Association team finished 19th on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) after starting in the same position for the 125-lap event and suffering a broken splitter on Lap 20.
“We started out pretty decent and this was actually the best car I’ve ever had at Michigan,” said Reed. “It’s a shame we didn’t get to use the speed we had. We’ll regroup for Chicago next week and try to make up some ground in the points.”
After starting 19th, Reed quickly made his way through the field and was up to the 13th position by Lap 10. He had no complaints about the car other than it was a little loose on entry into the corners. Ten laps later, Reed reported that he felt a vibration in the right front of the car that felt similar to a tire going down.
Reed held on to the car until the Lap 25 competition caution. Crew Chief Seth Barbour brought Reed down pit road and the team determined that the car’s splitter had come loose. Initially, the team made two stops to attach a bracket to the splitter and the front of the car. The team used the next several caution periods to continue repairs and re-attach the splitter. Reed held on to the 32nd position by the Lap 32 restart.
By the halfway point of the race, the team continued to make adjustments on each pit stop and Reed reported that the car was getting better. By the Lap 90 caution flag, Reed was up to the 20th position and fighting his way back through the field.
After a brief caution flag on Lap 108, the field took the green on Lap 110. Soon after, several cars in the field were involved in an incident. Reed was clipped in the right front and went spinning through the grass. The team brought Reed down pit road to move the fender away from the wheel and clean grass out of the grille of the car.
Reed restarted in the 23rd position and used the last 10 laps of the race to make his way into the top-20, eventually finishing the race in 19th.
Reed remains eighth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings after Saturday’s race. He and teammate Chris Buescher are the only NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars to win a race this season. Reed and the No. 16 team return to the track on Saturday, June 20 at Chicagoland Speedway.
RFR PR
