Reed Sorenson turned his first laps at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway last weekend during NASCAR’s Preseason Thunder three-day open test session.
Driving an unpainted No. 41 Dodge Charger Sorenson was looking to gain experience in the draft and take away anything he could to prepare for the Busch Series’ season opener less than a month away.
“It was pretty fun. You could tell those Cup guys were having a good time. We were hitting each other pretty hard. We drafted for pretty much the second half of the day Sunday. We were out there with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr. Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick - those are the guys that always draft well,” he says.
"There were a few times we were in the back and got to the front. The wicker bills suck the cars together pretty quick."
Heading into last weekend crew chief of the Discount Tire Co. sponsored team, Brian Pattie, had a plan for the test - to allow his driver time to learn the draft and put down solid qualifying runs.
“We really just want Reed to feel comfortable. We have been working really hard to make the new Dodge Charger the best it can be so the learning for Reed will be less,” he said.
“Hopefully we can come back from Daytona with a really good grasp on our car so we can turn our focus on the upcoming tests in Las Vegas and Fontana.”
The goal was accomplished as Sorenson’s No. 41 held its own and even had a near miss when Kevin Harvick and the series’ defending race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made contact.
“I saw that happen and I knew that was about to be a big one. I’m not sure if everybody out there, if their spotters were used. That could have been what the problem was,” Sorenson explained.
Reed gets ready to tackle Daytona. (51 Photos)
After admitting that he also put quite a beating of his own on Carl Edwards, he discussed another close call he had while racing with Johnny Sauter.
“We were in the draft and Sauter hit me in the tri-oval. It got us pretty sideways. It was almost ugly. I was at the front of the pack then it would have wiped everyone out. It took my breath away for a second.
Everyone, drivers and crew chiefs worry about this kind of racing. You never know if anything will happen.”
With Daytona testing down, next on Sorenson’s schedule is a test at the two-mile California Speedway.
Reed takes a break to get a bite to eat during testing at Daytona.
Reed's #41 car runs underneath Johnny Sauter's #1 machine. Sauter got a little bit too close later on.
