Reed Sorenson Watkins Glen Race Advance
CONTACT: Jennifer Powell, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, (704) 662-9642, jpowell@ganassi.com Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge Zippo 200-Watkins Glen International Advance No. 41 TEAM FACTS: * Pole Position: Reed Sorenson celebrated his one year anniversary in the Busch Series by winning the pole position for the Kroger 200 last weekend in Indianapolis. This was his second pole position of the season, with his first coming at Nashville in April. Sorenson also has two wins, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 23 starts this season. * Busch Series Points Standings: Sorenson's third-place effort at IRP last weekend kept him third in the NASCAR Busch Series championship points standings. However, with Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer finishing first and second at IRP respectively they remained in those positions in the championship standings. Sorenson trails Truex by 104 points but he is only a mere 19 points behind Bowyer. * Rookie of the Year: Sorenson leads Carl Edwards in the rookie of the year race (290-284). The rookie points are determined by each of the candidates top-16 finishes during the season. * Radical Rookie: For the 12th time this season Sorenson grabbed top rookie of the race honors. He has been the highest finishing rookie more than any other rookies this season. * Blue and Yellow: The No. 41 Dodge will again be sporting the yellow and blue special paint scheme of Home123. This will be the fourth time this season for the special paint scheme. Sorenson raced the Home123 Dodge at Gateway where he pulled it into victory lane. Home123 is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and is a subsidiary of New Century Financial Corporation, a publicly traded company . * Testing: Sorenson spent two days earlier this month at Watkins Glen International testing the Home123 Dodge in preparation for the 82-lap race this weekend. * Chassis: The Discount Tire team will race chassis #553 at Watkins Glen this weekend. This is the same car that Sorenson piloted to a 14th-place finish in Mexico City and that he tested at Watkins Glen last week. * Did You Know?: Sorenson's victory at Gateway two weeks ago gives the 2005 rookie class a total of five wins, equaling the most by a rookie class since the program began in 1989. The class of 2001 and 2004 also posted five victories. BRIAN PATTIE, CREW CHIEF QUOTES: With 12 races remaining what is it going to take to win the championship? "Just don't mess up. We have 12 more races to not have any DNFs and not have anything stupid happen. Or if something does happen you've got to be able to make something out of nothing. That's what we've been doing all year: thriving on our no DNFs and building top-notch cars that stay together the whole race. It's going like it shaped up to be in the first of the year. It's a three-car battle. It seems like we're pulling away from fourth and fifth. We're starting to focus on two cars, and that's the 2 and the 8. We structured some strategies in some test sessions to try to help us out to win a championship. Reed and Carl are locked into a good rookie battle, too, so we've got a couple of battles to watch. This is why I am with the No. 41 Dodge, to live through the last 12 races fighting for a championship and see how it feels." Reed Sorenson Cumulative NASCAR Busch Series Stats: Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Winnings 28 2 10 16 2 $ 969,406 Last Top-Five: August 6, 2005 at Indianapolis Raceway Park Last Top-10: August 6, 2005 at Indianapolis Raceway Park Best Career Start: First on August 6, 2005 at Indianapolis Raceway Park Best Career Finish: First on July 30, 2005 at Gateway International Raceway Reed Sorenson 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Results: Date Track Start Finish Winnings Status Standings 2/19/2005 Daytona 5 9 $52,575 Running 10 2/26/2005 Fontana 4 5 $39,175 Running 2 3/6/2005 Mexico 19 14 $44,525 Running 5 3/12/2005 Las Vegas 7 6 $35,275 Running 4 3/19/2005 Atlanta 28 19 $13,250 Running 4 3/26/2005 Nashville 1 1 $67,771 Running 2 4/4/2005 Bristol 6 3 $46,538 Running 2 4/16/2005 Texas 15 3 $59,132 Running 2 4/22/2005 Phoenix 17 32 $21,050 Running 2 4/30/2005 Talladega 20 32 $26,395 Accident 3 5/6/2005 Darlington 18 12 $25,200 Running 3 5/13/2005 Richmond 9 31 $15,530 Running 3 5/28/2005 Charlotte 6 5 $45,180 Running 3 6/4/2005 Dover 6 2 $47,490 Running 2 6/11/2005 Nashville 6 3 $42,130 Running 1 6/18/2005 Kentucky 8 4 $48,700 Running 1 6/25/2005 Milwaukee 23 12 $25,480 Running 2 7/1/2005 Daytona 8 20 $30,745 Running 3 7/9/2005 Chicago 19 10 $39,050 Running 3 7/16/2005 New Hampshire 15 14 $26,035 Running 3 7/23/2005 Pikes Peak 33 7 $36,505 Running 3 7/30/2005 St. Louis 2 1 $79,321 Running 3 8/6/2005 Indianapolis 1 3 $41,533 Running 3 Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Winnings 23 2 10 14 2 $ 908,585 DISCOUNT TIRE COMPANY CREW: Name Crew Position Race Shop Duty Hometown Reed Sorenson Driver Driver Peachtree City, Georgia Andy Graves Team Manager Team Manager Syracuse, New York Tony Glover Team Manager Team Manager Kingspot, Tennessee Brian Pattie Crew Chief Crew Chief Zephyrhills, Florida Tim O'Brian Engineer Engineer Lebanon, Ohio Dan Chivari Front Tire Changer Rear Mechanic Erie, Pennsylvania Adam Cooke Front Tire Carrier Shock Specialist Zephyrhills, Florida Daryl Lockyer Rear Tire Changer Mechanic Agoura Hills, California Brian Taylor Rear Tire Carrier Mechanic Cuthbert, Georgia Shaun Peet Jack Man Race Day Only Nanaimo, Canada Tim Coffey Gas Man Truck Driver Indianapolis, Indiana Ryan Quann Catch Can Man Race Day Only Richmond, Virginia Lorin Ranier Spotter Driver Development Prestonsburg, Kentucky Brandon Stafford Tire Specialist Tire Specialist Taylorsville, North Carolina Shane Bourgeois Pit Support Test Team Peachtree City, Georgia Jennifer Powell Media Relations Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Office: (704) 662-9642 x1147 jpowell@ganassi.com