One week ago the members of the Discount Tire Co./Home123 Dodge team strongly flexed their muscle after being forced to overcome an abundant amount of adversity. A late practice crash forced the use of a backup car and a starting position at the rear of the field.
Driver Reed Sorenson remained focused and despite the absence of regular crew chief Brian Pattie he was able to get through the night and charged on to a strong 11th place showing.
“It shows what a good team we are here,” Sorenson said of his Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates crew after the grueling night.
Looking for a little relief on a track he had already conquered earlier this season, Sorenson and the Discount Tire Co. crew headed west for a weekend at the California Speedway. In the spring Reed started fourth and finished fifth.
With numerous appearances and autograph signings on tap in California, Reed was able to enjoy some time away from the racetrack. But once he hit the two-mile track on Friday it was back to business as usual.
The look of the No. 41 pit had a different vibe to it this week as Reed’s hotrod donned the name America’s Tire Co. across the hood for the west coast branch of the Discount Tire brand. And for the second week in a row interim crew chief Jimmy Elledge stepped in for Brian Pattie. The newly paired duo got to work on their chemistry and jumped from 17th in the first practice session all the way up to fourth on the speed charts at the conclusion of the final session.
“We have a decent car. We have it pretty good. It felt the best in qualifying trim. I think we can qualify well. I’m looking forward to starting the race and finishing under the lights. We just need a solid finish today,” Reed said of his ride just before the drop of the green.
With primary sponsor Discount Tire Co. being based in nearby Arizona Reed had many of his number one supporters including Michael Zuieback, Rob Wise and a group of employees with sponsor America’s Tire Co., on hand to witness what they hoped would be another strong run.
Taking the green flag for the Ameriquest 300 in the third position Reed had two early obstacles to tackle: the setting sun in turn 3 and a pesky wind through turn 2.
An early pitstop came with just 20 laps on the board. Some leaders stayed on track while others, including the No. 41 America’s Tire Co. Dodge pit. The restart lined Reed up in the 13th spot and within less than 10 laps Sorenson was clocking in the fastest times on track while moving into the seventh position.
As different pit strategies on the night changed the face of the 150-lap race Reed steered the car he led to victory in Nashville into the lead on lap 55 after other teams took on their round of stops.
As the laps added up on the scoring pylon Sorenson and Elledge maintained position in the top five despite a looming tight condition in their Dodge. At the halfway mark in the race he held steady in the third spot.
The No. 41 crew made their final pitstop of the night under the final caution flag which fell with only 15 laps remaining. Reed entered the pits ninth but lost some track position for the restart on lap 137 after a scary and unfortunate incident overtook the stop. Rear tire changer Daryl Lockyer reached for a lugnut and ended feeling the weight of the car on his hand after the machine was dropped off of the jack.
Lockyer quickly regrouped and finished the stop.
13 laps remained once official Kevin Moss waved the final green flag over the field. Reed took the restart from the 16th spot, regrouped and crossed the stripe just outside of the top 10 in the 12th position.
Next weekend Reed’s determined Discount Tire Co. team will return to the .75-mile Richmond International Raceway. In the spring the gang put on a fantastic show for their fans before a late race run-in hampered the finish.
Reed closed ground on leader Martin Truex Jr., but lost a spot in the points. (Getty Images)
