Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge Michigan Advance...
Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge GFS Marketplace 400 - Michigan International Speedway Advance (MIS) - 8/20/06 To view the 2006 Target Racing Media Guide, please visit www.target.com/pressroom *MEDIA NOTE* Rise and Shine: Reed Sorenson will be participating in this week's NEXTEL Wake-Up Call session featuring Raybestos Rookies on Friday, Aug. 18 at 9:30 a.m. in the MIS media center Target Team Fast Facts: First Top-Five: Sorenson and the Target team are returning to the very track where the 20 year-old rookie scored his first top-five finish on June 18 (started 25th). Crew chief Jimmy Elledge used some crafty pit strategy to get Sorenson up to the front and from there the young driver fended off some heated challenges prior to the completion of the rain-shortened event. Chassis: Elledge and the Target Team have selected chassis #402 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup Series race at MIS. This is the same car the team finished seventh with at Chicagoland in July. Michigonian: Superior, Mich., native Marty Forcier carries front tires for the No. 41 Target team. Forcier joined Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (formerly Sabco Racing) in 1997 and began carrying tires in 1998. In addition to his raceday responsibilities, Forcier serves as a shop mechanic for the No. 41 Discount Tire Team. NEXTEL Cup Points Report: Sorenson and the Target team maintained 23rd in the overall standings after their 12th-place finish in the last event at Watkins Glen. With a total of 2187 points, the team is only 28 points out of 20th and 179 out of the top 15. Rookie Round Up: Sorenson is currently third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings with 173 points. He trails leader Denny Hamlin by 60 points. Sorenson has captured rookie of the race honors in four of the 22 races run thus far in '06 (Atlanta - 10th, Martinsville - 12th, Michigan - fifth, Chicagoland - seventh). Busch Series Update: Sorenson dropped one position to 12th in the overall Busch Series driver standings after his 28th-place finish in the last event at Watkins Glen. The Discount Tire Team is only 88 points outside of the top 10. Reed Sorenson on Michigan... "The entire Target team has been anxious to return to Michigan. We were a legitimate front runner during the race in June and we believe we can return and be just as competitive. The one and a half to two-mile tracks have been our strong suit this season, so we always look forward to racing on the bigger tracks. "We're bringing a different car than the one we finished fifth with last time, but we finished seventh with this one at Chicagoland. Jimmy (Elledge) and I both feel like it's better suited for the track's layout. "There are quite a few tracks left on the schedule where I truly believe we have a chance to get a win. We're starting to return to some of my favorite tracks, and ones where we have run the strongest and scored some of our best finishes so far this season. I definitely think there are many more top-five and top-10 finishes left for this team before we take the checkered flag at Homestead." Sorenson's Michigan International Speedway Stats (2-miles) Date Series Race Start Finish Laps Status Winnings 6/18/06 NEXTEL Cup 3M Performance 400 25 5 129/129 Running $98,350 8/20/05 Busch Domino's Pizza 250 4 36 113/125 Engine $19,630 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Results Date Race Start Finish Winnings Pts. Pos. Date Race Start Finish Winnings Pts. Pos Feb. 19 Daytona 22 29 $262,908 29th July 16 New Hamp. 9 24 $92,550 22nd Feb. 26 California 29 21 $97,875 24th July 23 Pocono 23 26 $73,625 23rd Mar. 12 Las Vegas 36 40 $85,300 32nd Aug. 6 Indianapolis 41 30 $147,725 23rd Mar. 19 Atlanta 15 10 $89,225 25th Aug. 13 Watkins Glen 40 12 $83,975 23rd Mar. 26 Bristol 22 22 $92,450 27th Aug. 20 Michigan Apr. 2 Martinsville 25 12 $85,925 24th Aug. 26 Bristol Apr. 9 Texas 13 13 $126,675 19th Sept. 3 California Apr.22 Phoenix 34 40 $68,700 24th Sept. 9 Richmond Apr. 30 Talladega 41 26 $89,825 24th Sept. 17 New Hamp. May 6 Richmond 24 23 $77,025 26th Sept. 24 Dover May 13 Darlington 16 11 $94,375 24th Oct. 1 Talladega May 28 Charlotte 23 10 $119,275 20th Oct. 8 Kansas June 4 Dover 39 19 $91,600 21st Oct. 14 Charlotte June 11 Pocono 35 36 $68,750 24th Oct. 22 Martinsville June 18 Michigan 25 5 $98,350 20th Oct. 29 Atlanta June 25 Infineon 41 29 $79,500 21st Nov. 5 Texas July 1 Daytona 37 34 $89,600 24th Nov. 12 Phoenix July 9 Chicago 18 7 $116,525 21st Nov. 19 Homestead Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Winnings 22 0 1 4 0 $2,262,792 Last updated 8/14/06 Sorenson's Cumulative NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Stats: Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Winnings 24 0 1 4 0 $2,369,333 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 Target Crew: Name Crew position Hometown Name Crew position Hometown Jimmy Elledge Crew Chief Redding, Calif. Doug Spees Tire Specialist Toledo, Oh. Tony Glover Team Manager Kingsport, Tenn. Jesse Sanders Pit Support Coupeville, Wash. Jeff Vandermoss Car Chief Green Bay, Wis. Lorin Ranier Spotter Prestonsburg, Ky. Bobby Burrell Front Tire Changer Huntersville, N.C. Travis Alexander Engine Specialist Walla Walla, Wash. Marty Forcier Front Tire Carrier Superior, Mich. Tim Smith Engineer Cope, S.C. Jason Sheets Rear Tire Changer Indianapolis, Ind. Roger Parkinson Pit Support San Diego, Calif. Alex Yonchok Rear Tire Carrier Syracuse, N.Y. Rod Bussard Transport Driver Everett, Penn. Shaun Peet Jack Man Nanaimo, B.C Mark Miller Transport Driver Randy Hildreth Gas Man Charlotte, N.C. Shane Bourgeois Pit Support Peachtree City, Ga. Eric Hoyle Catch Can Man Asheville, N.C. Mike Chance Pit Support Please visit www.chipganassiracing.com <http://www.chipganassiracing.com/> www.chipganassiracing.com <http://www.chipganassiracing.com>