Reed Sorenson No. 41 Discount Tire Team Advance for Daytona International Speedway Hershey's Kissables 300 02.18.06
Folks - Sorry for the delay! These will be going out on Mondays from here on out. Take care and shout if you need anything. My new mobile number is 704-746-8069. Media Contact: Angie Copen, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, 704-662-9642, acopen@ganassi.com Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge Hershey's Kissables 300 - Daytona International Speedway Advance To view the 2006 Discount Tire Media Guide, please visit www.discounttiremotorsports.com <http://www.discounttiremotorsports.com/> Discount Tire Team Fast Facts: * Daytona History: In his first Busch Series start at Daytona International Speedway in February 2005 Sorenson finished ninth, and never fell out of the top 15. * Chassis: Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the Discount Tire team have selected chassis #551 for the Hershey's Kissables 300 Saturday. This chassis was run in both 2005 Busch events at Daytona International Speedway, helping the Discount Tire team score its first top 10 of the season in the February race (started fifth, finished ninth). A late-race incident derailed the No. 41 team in July, but the crew still came out with a top-20 finish (started eighth, finished 20th). The same car also competed at Talladega Superspeedway in late April (started 20th, finished 32nd). Since then, the car has been rebuilt and tested well at Daytona in January. * Happy Belated Birthday, Reed: Just before leaving North Carolina to head south to Florida for the 2006 Speedweeks events, Sorenson celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday, Feb. 5. * Double-Duty Season: Before he climbs into the No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge to race in the Hershey's Kissables 300 this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, Sorenson will compete in the Gatorade Duel in the No. 41 Target Dodge, and then follow up both competitions with his inaugural run in the historical Daytona 500. This will be the story at many companion Busch and NEXTEL Cup events this year because in addition to his full-time Busch Series duties, Sorenson will compete fulltime in the NEXTEL Cup Series piloting the No. 41 Target Dodge. * Déjà vu: This year, Sorenson will be competing for another rookie title. He is no stranger to competing for such a title as he did so in both the NASCAR Busch Series and American Speed Association (ASA). He won the ASA honor in 2003 after recording seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 17 races. Sorenson was edged out slightly by NEXTEL Cup Series regular Carl Edwards for the 2005 Busch Series honor, but the rookie phenomenon piled up two wins, two poles, 19 top-five finishes and 22 top-10 finishes. The strong performance landed Sorenson fourth overall in the 2005 Busch Series championship standings. * Record Rookie Class: Sorenson will be going head to head against one of the most talented rookie classes in recent history for the coveted Raybestos Rookie of the Year honor. Currently there are seven full-time teams with rookie drivers, one of which being Sorenson's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) teammate David Stremme. CGRFS also had two rookies in 2003, Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears, with McMurray ultimately capturing Rookie of the Year. * Discount Tire Appearance: Sorenson will be signing autographs at the Daytona Beach Discount Tire store, located at 1051 Beville Rd., from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15. * Target Appearance: Sorenson will be signing autographs at the Daytona Beach Target store, located at 2380 West International Speedway Blvd., from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16. Reed Sorenson on beginning his sophomore year in the NASCAR Bush Series: "Brian [Pattie], the guys and I are planning to pick up where we left off last year and just move forward from there. The team and everyone who works on it are a very special group to me because they've been there since the beginning of all of this, so I am really thankful Discount Tire came back to support us this year to give us the opportunity to make another run for the championship. "So far our test sessions have been going great. I'm excited and the guys are excited. You can tell they're definitely ready when you walk around the shop and see all of the No. 41 Discount Tire cars that are lined up and ready to go. I know my schedule is going to be a lot busier this year going back and forth between the NEXTEL Cup and Busch competition, but the extra seat time is going to be an asset to all of us. "Although I am a rookie in NEXTEL Cup, I'm not in the Busch Series so I definitely feel a bit more comfortable now than I did last year at this time. I learned a lot last season, some lessons were easier learned than others. Winning the championship last year would have been great, but it really wasn't the main goal. This year, winning the championship is the name of the game and I know we have the team to do it." Brian Pattie, Crew Chief of the No. 41 Discount Tire Busch team, commented on his outlook on the season beginnings and beyond: "So far so good. Testing has gone well for us. We've been running faster than we were this same time last year, so we're definitely ready to get to racing and see what all comes of it. We've really done a complete 180 from last year when we were working down to the wire on getting our cars ready for Daytona and the first few races. We also didn't have any points so there was, of course, a lot of focus on qualifying. This year it is just a different story. It's all about racing. We have the points and we have the bulk of the work done to get rolling. Now, we are just finishing up some things here and there, but are definitely ready to head to Daytona and beyond that. "We are planning to make a strong run for the championship. Last year, we had the championship on our mind, but would have been happy with a top-10 finish in the standings and came out with a top-five. Now, we are more about winning and top-five finishes than anything else." Reed Sorenson Daytona International Speedway Stats (2.5 miles - Daytona Beach, Fla.) Date Race Start Finish Laps Completed Total Laps Status Winnings 07.01.05 Winn Dixie 250 8 20 104 104 Running $30,745 02.19.05 Hershey's Take 5 300 5 9 120 120 Running $52,575 Total/Average: 2/6.5 2/14.5 224 224 $83,320 Track Summary: 2 Starts 0 Wins 0 Top 5s 1 Top 10 0 Poles Reed Sorenson 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Results Date Race Start Finish Winnings Points Date Race Start Finish Winnings Points Feb. 18 Daytona July 8 Chicago Feb. 25 California July 15 Loudon March 5 Mexico July 22 Martinsville March 11 Las Vegas July 29 St. Louis March 18 Atlanta Aug. 5 Indianapolis March 25 Bristol Aug. 12 Watkins Glen April 8 Texas Aug. 19 Michigan April 15 Nashville Aug. 25 Bristol April 21 Phoenix Sept. 2 California April 29 Talladega Sept. 8 Richmond May 5 Richmond Sept. 23 Dover May 12 Darlington Sept. 30 Kansas May 27 Charlotte Oct. 13 Charlotte June 3 Dover Oct. 28 Memphis June 10 Pocono Nov. 4 Texas June 17 Kentucky Nov. 11 Phoenix June 24 Milwaukee Nov. 19 Homestead June 30 Daytona Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Winnings 0 0 0 0 0 $0.00 Last updated 02.08.06 Reed Sorenson Career Highlights First Busch Series Start (Indianapolis, Aug. 7, 2004) First Busch Series Win (Nashville, March 26, 2005) First Busch Series Pole (Nashville, March 26, 2005) First NEXTEL Cup Series Start (Atlanta, Oct. 30, 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 No. 41 Discount Tire Crew: Name Crew position Hometown Name Crew position Hometown Brian Pattie Crew Chief Zephyrhills, Fla. Jesse Sanders Pit Support Coupeville, Wash. Andy Graves Team Manager Syracuse, N.Y. Shane Bourgeois Pit Support Peachtree, Ga. Tony Glover Team Manager Kingsport, Tenn. Adam Cooke Shock Specialist Zephyrhills, Fla. Lorin Ranier Spotter Prestonburg, Ken. Dan Chivari Swing Mechanic Erie, Pa. Jeremy Crosby Front Tire Changer Hickory, N.C. Bruce Jones Rear Mechanic Lakeland, Fla. Doug Riepe Front Tire Carrier Danbury, Conn. Brian Taylor Front Mechanic Cuthbert, Ga. Trevor Lysne Rear Tire Changer Fergus Falls, Minn. Tim O'Brien Engineer Lebanon, Ohio Adam Mosher Rear Tire Carrier Fort Mill, S.C. Tim Smith Engineer Cope, S.C. Shaun Peet Jack Man Nanaimo, B.C Donald Sutherland Engine Tuner Pine Bush, N.Y. Tim Coffey Gas Man Greenwood, Ind. Brandon Stafford Tire Specialist Taylorsville, N.C. Ryan Quann Catch Can Man Richmond, Va. Tim Coffey Transport Driver Greenwood, Ind.