Sorenson and Team Score Solid Seventh-Place Finish at Kansas

It was a top-10 day all around for Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 NicoDerm CQ Discount Tire Team at Kansas Speedway, as they maintained an average running position of seventh place throughout to call it a day just the same in the Yellow Transportation 300. The team’s seventh-place finish gave Sorenson a step up in the NASCAR Busch Series driver standings, moving from 10th up to ninth. Sorenson and team both now stand ninth (in the driver and owner ranks) with just five races remaining in the 2006 season.

“We actually ended up with a pretty good car here,” Sorenson said. “Early on, the car was a bit too free in and tight on exit, but the track came in pretty nice and got to where we could run pretty much anywhere. We struggled on the restarts though, the car just didn’t seem to have the usual pick-up and go, which was tough because the guys were awesome again in the pits. I know we gained five or six positions there during that one stop, so they were definitely doing their job today and are one of the main reasons we got this top-10 finish. I just wish I could’ve gotten by those guys there in the end to get a top five, but seventh place is good. We’ll take it.”

Sorenson and the No. 41 NicoDerm CQ team started their Saturday off on the right foot by scoring a fourth-place starting position during the late-morning qualifying session. Sorenson lapped the 1.5-mile speedway at 172.7 mph in 31.3 seconds to score the top-five start, which marked the team’s seventh top-five start of 2006.

The Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) Busch team addressed a loose in, tight off condition during the first half of the 200-lap competition, pitting two times before reaching the halfway point of the race. Crew Chief Brian Pattie called for air pressure and track bar adjustments to try to get the car dialed more toward Sorenson’s liking.

One of the team’s biggest highlights of the day took place on pit road when the No. 41 NicoDerm CQ team opted to make its third, and possible final, stop on lap 131. It was a fast four-tire, fuel stop by the over-the-wall pit crew that took Sorenson from running in 11th place up to sixth. Still under yellow and playing with pit strategy a bit, Pattie told his young driver to return to his stall so they could top off with fuel before racing resumed on lap 133. Even with the second visit to the pits, the team was able to maintain its earlier position. The green flag waved with Sorenson in 11th place.

The object was to not pit again, but the second half of the race was polluted with yellow flags (seven of the 10 happened during the last 100 laps) which provided more opportunities to make one last stop before the final sprint to the checkered flag. Thus, Pattie couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pit a fourth and final time on lap 165. It was another four-tire, fuel stop with Sorenson entering in 10th and exiting in ninth.

With just 30 laps remaining, it was all about moving forward as racing resumed on lap 170. A slight lack of power seemed to hinder Sorenson’s attempt to charge forward in the closing laps, but there was still enough punch to help him sail to a seventh-place finish which marked the team’s 12th top 10 of the year.

Sorenson and team now stand ninth in both the driver and owner standings. Sorenson’s current tally equals 3,237. He is 242 points out of eighth in the driver ranks. The No. 41 CGRFS Busch team has a total of 3,322 points and is only 51 outside of eighth place in owner points.

The NASCAR Busch Series will take a break this next weekend, while the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway. The Busch teams’ next race will be a lot closer to home for most as they return to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. to run under the lights in the Dollar General 300 on Friday night, October 13. The race is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on TNT (TV) and PRN (Radio).