R. Sorenson No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge Homestead-Miami Speedway Advance 11.18.06
Homestead-Miami Speedway - 11.18.06
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: Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Discount Tire team turned a top-15 start into a top-10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) last Saturday. The seventh-place finish bumped the team up one position-to ninth-in the NASCAR Busch Series owner standings and helped Sorenson strengthen his 10th-place position in the driver ranks as he prepares for his last Busch race of the 2006 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS) this upcoming Saturday night.
* Valid First Efforts at HMS: In November 2004, Sorenson made his first run at HMS and the results were pretty impressive. It was his first effort at the Florida speedway, but also only his fifth-career NASCAR Busch Series start that began with a top-10 (started seventh) and resulted with a top-five (fourth-place finish). Then, in November 2005, Sorenson made his first NEXTEL Cup run at HMS, which was only his second-career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start. Again, the results were impressive as he crossed the finish line in 15th place.
* Racing, Inc.: Chip Ganassi Racing is the focus this week in a SPEED TV special called Racing Incorporated which takes viewers inside the business of racing with a close-up look at the motorsports operations of team owner Chip Ganassi. The pair of one-hour specials will air this Wednesday, Nov. 15 and Thursday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. ET & PT (re-played at 11 pm ET). Racing Incorporated was given unprecedented access by the team to its race shops in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., over a several weeks this past summer for a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of Ganassi's IndyCar, NASCAR, and Grand American Sports Car Series operations.
* NEXTEL Cup Points Report: Sorenson and the No. 41 team maintained their 25th position in the overall standings after finishing 29th in this past Sunday's event at PIR. The team has a legitimate shot at finishing the season off as high as 22nd (-90 points). Additionally the team is only 28 points out of 24th and 48 points out of 23rd. Sorenson sits one point behind third-place holder Martin Truex Jr. in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings heading into the season finale at HMS this weekend. He has captured rookie of the race honors in five of the 35 races run thus far in '06 (Atlanta - 10th, Martinsville - 12th, Michigan - fifth, Chicagoland - seventh, Michigan 2 - eighth).
* Chassis: The No. 41 Discount Tire team is bringing chassis #452 to Florida this weekend. The chassis has turned out to be the team's best car this season. It has been entered in six other races this year with its current 2006 stats equaling four top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes. The chassis most recently carried Sorenson and team across the finish line in seventh place at the Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park last month and to fifth place at Richmond International Raceway this past September. In addition, the car helped the team score three-consecutive top-five finishes when Sorenson drove the car to two fourth-place finishes back-to-back in July at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Gateway International in St. Louis, Mo. Then, in August, he wheeled it to a second-place finish at the O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind. The only time the chassis finished outside the top five was at RIR in May when the team practiced, qualified and raced inside the top 10 all day and night. Unfortunately, a late hit from another car on lap 229 sent the No. 41 CGRFS Dodge slamming into the outside wall and out of the race the remainder of the night (finishing 36th).
Sorenson comments about his upcoming last race weekend of the 2006 season at HMS: "I can't believe this weekend is here. It has been a whirlwind year. It's been fun and gone by very fast. Part of me is ready to finish and look to 2007, and then part of me just wants to keep running. We're taking our best car to Homestead and maybe that will result in the season-best finish we've been hunting for this entire season in the Busch car. We've scored a couple of second-place finishes but we're still looking for the number one spot that has eluded us this season.
"I did test at Homestead in the Target car a few weeks ago. Last year, in the Busch car, we had a top-10 run going and then got caught up in an accident. I've always liked running at Homestead. I had a really good run there in 2004. It was only my fifth Busch start and it resulted in a fourth-place finish, so that was a nice confidence booster going into my rookie season last year."
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.