Gateway 250 - Gateway International Raceway

Reed Sorenson Knows Gateway to Victory
In a war of attrition Saturday night at Gateway International Raceway, Reed Sorenson broke a 60-race NASCAR Busch Series winless drought in beating Scott Wimmer to checkered flag in the Gateway 250. Sorenson, who won his last race in the series at Gateway in 2005, passed David Reutimann for the lead after a restart on lap 159 and kept his No. 41 Dodge out front the rest of the way, despite a caution that fell on lap 178 when points leader Carl Edwards backed into the outside wall. Sorenson finished 2.064 seconds in front of Wimmer, who got by Reutimann for second place in the closing laps. Reutimann held on to third, followed by Jason Leffler and David Ragan. Edwards (who drove like a madman after his wreck), Kevin Hamlin, Ron Hornaday Jr., J.J. Yeley and Todd Bodine completed the top 10. "It's been a long time since we won, and we knew we had a good shot coming in here," Sorenson said. "Everybody on the team was real excited about coming in here, and the car was just dominant all night. I'm just real proud of everybody. We knew we had a good car after practice -- we didn't know it was going to be this good, though." Aside from a caution on lap 6 for a Steve Wallace crash, the race was incident-free until NASCAR called a caution for debris on lap 92. From that point on, the Gateway 250 became a demolition derby, as seven cautions followed in the last 101 laps. The action started on lap 99, when Tim McCreadie's No. 21 Chevy broke loose, causing Mike Bliss to check up behind him. Landon Cassill, making his series debut, got into Bliss who, in turn, was collected by Kyle Krisiloff. "I don't know who's driving the 24 -- he looks like a 10-year-old out there," Bliss said of the 18-year-old Cassill. "He waved me by, then he ran into me." Cassill, who has been touted as a future star at Hendrick Motorsports, had a different perspective. "I was down on the yellow line as far as I could go, where I was supposed to be," he said. "I don't know whether he checked up or he came down the track." Kenny Wallace, the crowd favorite from nearby St. Louis, also was eliminated in that melee, causing the garrulous driver to say in disappointment, "I'm at a loss for words." Ten laps later, Cassill wrecked in tandem with Travis Kittelson in turn three, and Brad Keselowski also got a piece of the crash. Five more cautions followed before Sorenson streaked across the finish line and headed for victory lane.

Gateway 250 Notes
· Race Results · Ford Post-Race Quotes · Toyota Post-Race Quotes · Point Standings · Owner Point Standings · Starting Lineup · Qualifying Results · Ford Friday Quotes · Final Practice · Practice 2: Rookie Practice · Practice 1 · Qualifying Order · Entry List · Weekend Schedule · Tim McCreadie Notes · Landon Cassill Notes	· Carl Edwards Notes · Dave Blaney Notes · David Ragan Notes · Jason Leffler Notes · Scott Wimmer Notes · Todd Kluever Notes · Reed Sorenson Notes · Eric McClure Notes · Jason Keller Notes · Kelly Bires Notes · Kevin Hamlin Notes · Chase Miller Notes · Cale Gale Notes · Ron Hornaday Notes · Kenny Wallace Notes · Brad Keselowski Notes

Wimmer Wins Career First Pole Position at Gateway
Scott Wimmer won the Busch Pole for tonight's Gateway 250, lapping the Gateway International Raceway in 33.246 seconds, at an average speed of 135.355 mph, setting a new track record. This is Wimmer’s first pole position in 137 career NASCAR Busch Series races and sixth top-10 start in 14 NASCAR Busch Series starts so far this season. Wimmer now has three top-10 starts in five races at the Gateway International Raceway. Reed Sorenson posted the second-fastest lap at 33.296 seconds, at an average of 135.151 mph, and will join Wimmer on the front row of the starting grid. Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards will start third, posting his 16th top-10 start this season after lapping the Gateway International Raceway in 33.302 seconds. Making his ninth start of the season, Jason Keller will roll off from the fourth starting position. Landon Cassill qualified in the sixth position as the fastest of the drivers that had to make the field on time. The 18-year-old is making his NASCAR Busch Series debut tonight driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.