Hamlin has been tabbed as the co-driver of the No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge over the next few weeks and months, as Sorenson divides his time between the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series competition schedules. Hamlin will pilot the No. 41 Dodge Charger during both Saturday (June 10) morning practice sessions at Nashville Superspeedway to get it ready for Sorenson to qualify and race later that evening in the Federated Auto Parts 300.
“I am real excited to be able to help the Discount Tire team out and Reed,” Hamlin said. “The entire Discount Tire team has a really good history at Nashville, so it is a great opportunity to get some seat time in a great car and with a great team.”
This weekend’s NASCAR races in Pocono and Nashville mark the first split in the NASCAR Busch and NEXTEL Cup competition
schedules, which means the two series’ go racing on the same weekend but at different places. Multiple drivers, along with Sorenson, are running fulltime in both series’ this year and will therefore have to split their time between the two circuits over the next few weeks and months.
Including this weekend, there will be six times this year that multiple substitute drivers will be filling in for the full-time double-duty Busch/NEXTEL Cup racers. Hamlin was the natural choice for CGRFS to utilize.
“Kevin will do a good job giving solid feedback to the Discount Tire crew so they can get the car race ready,” Sorenson said. “There are a lot of good people lending a hand to help me run both series’ and I greatly appreciate all of their efforts and help.”
Sorenson will start off his weekend practicing and qualifying the No. 41 Target Dodge at Pocono Raceway on Friday and Saturday. While Sorenson is wrapping up his final Cup practice sessions of the weekend in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, Hamlin will finish up the final Busch practice sessions of the weekend in Tennessee.
“My goal is not to be at the top of the speed charts during practice, but just to get the car ready for Reed,” Hamlin said.
This weekend’s Federated Auto Parts 300 Busch Series race is scheduled to start at 8:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 10, and will broadcast live on FX (TV) and MRN (Radio).
While Reed Sorenson is practicing and qualifying for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race up north at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) development driver Kevin Hamlin will help Sorenson’s NASCAR Busch Series team get ready to go racing at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee.
