Release from the strategic reserve is more PR/leverage/signal than anything. First, it takes time to actually do the release. Second, 180M barrels is nothing when then US uses ~20M barrels/day.
So it's more of a signal that the US is about to start swinging a bigger stick to get oil production up, than it is an illusion.
So it's more of a signal that the US is about to start swinging a bigger stick to get oil production up, than it is an illusion.