After battling in the draft for almost 400 miles, moving from a 37th-place starting position all the way up to the lead prior to a green-flag pit stop, Reed Sorenson and the Target team got a helping of déjà vu, cutting a tire in the closing laps just as they did in the season opener at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
During the opening laps of the 160-lap race, Sorenson locked onto Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s rear bumper to learn a little from the restrictor-plate veteran and hopefully hitch a ride to the front of the field. In tow, Sorenson moved up to 33rd before the first of five cautions on lap seven. Once under yellow, he commented that the car was handling “pretty good” so he pitted for four tires and fuel and returned to the track 32nd.
The 43-car field was unleashed again on lap 11 but another caution quickly followed on lap 15. Sorenson radioed in that he had no problem keeping the throttle to the floor all the way around the track so he pitted for gas only.
Racing resumed on lap 20 with the No. 41 Target Dodge sitting in 24th. Sorenson moved up to 20th by lap 30 and went on to take the lead on lap 51 as the competitors cycled through a round of green flag stops. After making his pit stop on lap 52,
Sorenson found himself running in 34th and about a half lap behind the lead draft of cars.
After an extended green-flag run and another round of green-flag pit stops, Sorenson and team got the caution they needed to bunch up the field on lap 87. Sorenson pitted for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to combat a loose in and tight off the corner handling problem he had developed.
The Target Dodge took the next green flag on lap 92 in 29th and by lap 111 Sorenson piloted the car back into the top 20. From there he would hold onto the lead draft until pitting under green on lap 125 for what could’ve been the final pit stop had the race remained green until the finish.
The fourth caution flag waved on lap 147, allowing the Target team to pit one more time for fresh tires and fuel to carry then to the checkered flag. One last caution flag flew with just a handful of laps remaining with Sorenson firmly nestled in the top 25 and potentially headed for a top-20 finish or better. Unfortunately he cut a tire during the last lap and was relegated to a 34th-place finish.
Sorenson and crew dropped three positions to 24th in the overall standings at the completion of the Pepsi 400. They are 83 points out of 20th heading into the next event at Chicagoland Speedway on July 9. Sorenson maintained third position in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. He has a total of 151 points and trails leader Denny Hamlin by 43. Sorenson’s Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Casey Mears and David Stremme finished seventh and 16th respectively.
