Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge
Sylvania 300 – New Hampshire International Raceway Advance – 9/17/06
Target Team Fast Facts:
Back to Normal: The familiar red and white Target paint scheme returns to the track this weekend after a one-week hiatus. Last weekend’s Nicorette paint scheme was the last primary special paint scheme change for the No. 41 Target car this season.
Optimistic Return: Sorenson and the Target team had one of their best NEXTEL Cup Series performances to date in the last event at New Hampshire. After qualifying ninth, Sorenson ran in the top-five for more than half of the 300 laps and led a total of 31 laps. Headed for a third-place finish, an untimely last-lap caution forced the Target team to pit for fuel prior to a green-white-checkered finish, relegating Sorenson to 24th.
Chassis: Crew Chief Jimmy Elledge and the No. 41 Target Team have selected chassis #614 for this weekend’s NEXTEL Cup event at New Hampshire. This is a new short track car prepared this season and it ran last weekend at Richmond (14th-place finish). The Target team also used this chassis in the first New Hampshire event (24th).
NEXTEL Cup Points Report: Sorenson and the No. 41 team jumped one position to 22nd in the overall standings after their 14th-place finish in the last event at Richmond. With a total of 2610 points, the team is 66 points out of 20th and 205 out of the top 15.
Rookie Round Up: Sorenson is currently third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings with 186 points. He trails leader Denny Hamlin by 65 points and second place Clint Bowyer by 21. Sorenson has captured rookie of the race honors in five of the 26 races run thus far in ’06 (Atlanta – 10th, Martinsville – 12th, Michigan – fifth, Chicagoland – seventh, Michigan 2 - eighth).
Busch Series Update: Sorenson moved up two positions to 10th in the overall Busch Series driver standings after his fifth-place finish at Richmond. He is only 67 points out of ninth place. The Busch Series is off this weekend.
Wrapping up the IRL: Sorenson’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing counterparts in the IRL IndyCar Series Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon finished first and second respectively in the series finale last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Moreover, Wheldon tied for first in the championship standings but eventual champion Sam Hornish Jr. got the nod, having more total wins. Dixon finished fourth in the standings, and the result was the second one-two finish of the season for the duo after Dixon led Wheldon to the line in Nashville. Overall the Target team recorded four wins, three poles, 19 top-five finishes and 24 top 10 finishes.
50th Open Wheel Win: Wheldon’s victory last weekend at Chicagoland marked the 50th open wheel win for Target Chip Ganassi Racing (1990-2006), covering both the CART and IRL series. The win came just a few weeks after Grand American Sports Car Series drivers Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz delivered Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. its historic 75th win.
Reed Sorenson on New Hampshire…
“We were a legitimate contender for the win in the last New Hampshire race, but we had to forfeit our track position because of the last lap caution. We weren’t going to make it on fuel so we had to pit prior to the green-white-checker. We’re taking the same car and it’s a new short track car that we’re very pleased with. We ran it last week at Richmond and it performed very well. We kept losing track position by getting blocked into the pits, but overall the car was pretty solid in the handling department. I appreciate the guys getting it turned around for this weekend and I expect to be equally as good, if not better, than we were the first time at New Hampshire. And, we’ll have better fuel mileage this time around.”
Sorenson’s Career Highlights
First NEXTEL Cup Series Top Five (Michigan, June 18, 2006)
First NEXTEL Cup Series Start (Atlanta, Oct. 30, 2005)
First Busch Series Win (Nashville, Mar. 26, 2005)
First Busch Series Pole (Nashville, Mar. 26, 2005)
First ARCA win (Michigan, June 2004)
2003 ASA Rookie of the Year
1998-2002 Legends Cars: 84 wins, 152 top fives and 166 top-10 finishes in 183 starts
1997 Quarter Midgets National Champion
