R. Sorenson No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge Advance for the USG Durock 300 @ Chicagoland Speedway 07.08.06
Media Contact: Angie Copen, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, 704-662-9642, acopen@ganassi.com Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge USG Durock 300 - Chicagoland Speedway - 07.08.06 To view the 2006 Discount Tire Media Guide, please visit www.discounttiremotorsports.com <http://www.discounttiremotorsports.com/> No. 41 Discount Tire Team Fast Facts: * Where They Stand Now: After falling out of the NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend and finishing 40th, the No. 41 Discount Tire team is 21st in the Busch Series championship standings with 1,749 points. The team is 23 points out of 20th and 99 outside the top 15. Sorenson is 20th in the driver championship standings with his current season tally adding up to equal 1,664. He is 108 points out of 15th. * On the Cup Side of Things: Unfortunately, a cut tire handed Sorenson a dose of déjà vu at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend in the No. 41 Target Dodge. The team cut the tire in the closing laps just as it did in the season opener at the 2.5-mile Florida track this past February. The team finished 34th and dropped three positions-to 24th-in the overall standings. Sorenson and crew are now 83 points out of 20th heading into this weekend's NEXTEL Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, July 9. * NEXTEL Rookie Ranks: Sorenson maintained his third-place position in the NEXTEL Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. He has a total of 151 points and trails leader Denny Hamlin by 43. * Meet Reed in Joliet: Reed Sorenson will stop by the Discount Tire store located at 1719 W. Jefferson in Joliet, Ill. to meet area race fans and sign autographs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. CT Thursday, July 6. * CGRFS Busch Duo Returns: Casey Mears, carrying the number and logo of his NEXTEL Cup car-the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge, will continue his limited run in the NASCAR Busch Series competition this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The No. 42 CGRFS Busch car made its debut at California Speedway in late February, and has since also run at Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Lowe's Motor Speedway. This weekend will be the sixth time Sorenson and Mears have teamed up in Busch Series competition this season. The No. 42 Busch car is also scheduled to run at LMS again in the fall, along with Michigan in August and California in September. * Chassis: The No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway is chassis #555, which is the same car the team raced at the Illinois track last year when Sorenson led the field for a total of 30 laps before finishing 10th (started 19th). The last time chassis #555 was on track this year was at Texas Motor Speedway this past April, when Sorenson and the No. 41 Busch team grabbed the outside pole and went on to finish 13th. In 2005, chassis #555 had a very busy season, running at both Charlotte races in addition to Las Vegas, Texas and Chicago. It helped Sorenson and team post two top-five and four top-10 finishes, with its best run being at Texas where the team started 15th and then wrapped up the day in third place. Reed Sorenson looks ahead to Chicagoland Speedway: "I am looking forward to racing at Chicago in the Busch car. We had a pretty good run there last year, led a few laps and finished 10th. The car definitely favored the long, green-flag runs, but not the restarts. The motor kind of laid down on us, but we still managed to squeeze a top-10 finish out of it all and were pretty satisfied with that. "We're taking back the same car we raced there last year, which is a great car that helped us land inside the top five and top 10 more than once in 2005. We've only run it two times so far this year and grabbed a top 15 with it at Texas, but fell out of contention at Atlanta due to engine problems. We did manage to grab the outside pole at Texas, as well, so hopefully we can improve on that just a bit this weekend. "As we embark on the second half of the Busch Series season, I am really hoping we can all regroup and start getting some solid top-five finishes that I know we are capable of. It just hasn't been our year. At the beginning of the season, if someone would've told me this was the way we would be standing at this point in the year, I would've never believed it. But, I've had a lot of guys tell me this is the way it just seems to go sometimes. You feel like you just can't catch a break. Our overall goals may have changed a little, but we still go into every weekend looking to win just like everyone else. We are just taking different approaches now and making changes that we probably wouldn't have made if things were going differently for us right now." Reed Sorenson Chicagoland Speedway NASCAR Busch Series Stats (1.5-mile tri-oval in Joliet, Ill.) Date Race Start Finish Laps Completed Total Laps Status Winnings 07.09.05 USG Durock 300 19 10 200 200 Running $39,050 Total/Average: 1/19 1/10 200 200 $39,050 Track Summary: 1 Start 0 Wins 0 Top 5s 1 Top 10 0 Poles No. 41 Discount Tire Team 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Results Date Race Start Finish Winnings Rank/Pts. Date Race Start Finish Winnings Rank/Pts. Feb. 18 Daytona 13 9 $60,900 9th/138 July 8 Chicago Feb. 25 California 35 11 $33,275 8th/130 July 15 Loudon March 5 Mexico 25 36 $44,640 17th/55 July 22 Martinsville March 11 Las Vegas 27 10 $42,708 13th/134 July 29 St. Louis March 18 Atlanta 28 42 $17,505 18th/37 Aug. 5 Indianapolis March 25 Bristol 18 27 $21,850 21st/82 Aug. 12 Watkins Glen April 8 Texas 2 13 $23,750 19th/124 Aug. 19 Michigan April 15 Nashville 4 19 $14,150 19th/111 Aug. 25 Bristol April 21 Phoenix 5 2 $55,900 14th/175 Sept. 2 California April 29 Talladega 13 17 $20,000 16th/112 Sept. 8 Richmond May 5 Richmond 9 36 $14,215 16th/55 Sept. 23 Dover May 12 Darlington 23 23 $14,700 17th/94 Sept. 30 Kansas May 27 Charlotte 22 21 $16,050 16th/100 Oct. 13 Charlotte June 3 Dover 16 10 $18,975 15th/134 Oct. 28 Memphis June 10 Nashville 36 23 $16,275 13th/94 Nov. 4 Texas June 17 Kentucky 3 39 $17,370 16th/46 Nov. 11 Phoenix *June 24 *Milwaukee *11 *26 *$17,200 *20th/85 Nov. 19 Homestead June 30 Daytona 6 40 $19,485 21st/43 Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Pts. Total Winnings 18 0 1 4 0 1,749 $468,948 *Indicates when David Stremme drove the No. 41 Reed Sorenson 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Totals Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Pts. Total Money 17 0 1 4 0 16 1,664 $451,748 Reed Sorenson NASCAR Busch Series Career Totals Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps Led Money 57 2 14 26 2 468 $1,860,670 Reed Sorenson 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. Ryan Quann Catch Can Man Richmond, Va. Tony Glover Team Manager Kingsport, Tenn. Adam Cooke Shock Specialist Zephyrhills, Fla. Lorin Ranier Spotter Prestonburg, Ken. Dan Chivari Swing Mechanic Erie, Pa. Trevor Lysne Front Tire Changer Fergus Falls, Minn. Bruce Jones Rear Mechanic Lakeland, Fla. Adam Mosher Front Tire Carrier Fort Mill, S.C. Brian Taylor Front Mechanic Cuthbert, Ga. Daryl Lockyer Rear Tire Changer Los Angeles, Calif. Tim O'Brien Engineer Lebanon, Ohio Doug Riepe Rear Tire Carrier Danbury, Conn. Todd Hamm Engine Tuner Kutztown, Pa. Shaun Peet Jack Man Nanaimo, B.C Brandon Stafford Tire Specialist Taylorsville, N.C. Tim Coffey Gas Man/Transport Driver Greenwood, Ind. Shane Bourgeois Pit Support Peachtree City, Ga.