Reed Sorenson took the green flag in the Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Speedway in 29th, and at the end of 400 grueling laps of short-track racing he crossed the finish line in 14th. Battling a primarily loose race car, that was also a touch on the tight side in the center of the corners, Sorenson kept the No. 41 Nicorette Dodge pointed in the right direction while the Target crew made numerous adjustments to the chassis. Overall it was a solid performance and the team managed to gain one position in the standings to 22nd.
The opening laps of the race appeared to be very promising, with Sorenson rocketing from 29th to 20th prior to the first caution on lap 35. The ensuing pit stop relegated the Target team to 31st, however, as the No. 41 Nicorette Dodge was blocked into its stall by another competitor. This happened to the team during a few of its pit stops and as a result all that was gained on the track was taken away out of their control.
Sorenson managed to overcome the pit problems with some crafty driving on the track. Regardless of whatever the chassis was doing he dropped off of the lead lap only once on lap 212, which can be a tall order at a track Richmond’s length. After a quick pit stop during the fifth caution on lap 220 the Target team put Sorenson in position to get the “Lucky Dog” pass, which would place him back on the lead lap. Sorenson maintained position as the first car one lap
down and was rewarded with the pass during the next caution on lap 251.
The remainder of the event Sorenson was able to stay on the lead lap before taking the checkered flag. He put on an impressive display of talent, driving from 25th to 18th between laps 283 to 320, and after his final stop on lap 321 went on to gain four more positions to finish 14th.
“It was a long night,” said Sorenson after the completion of the race. “I think our car was better than a 14th-place car, but we kept getting blocked in the pits and that killed our track position. The car was a handful most of the night, but the guys did a good job adjusting on it and it was pretty good at the end. I think had we had another caution we may have been able to get into the top 10. All in all it was a pretty good night.”
The Target team moved up one position to 22nd in the overall standings. Sorenson is 66 points out of 20th and 205 out of 15th heading into the next event at New Hampshire International Raceway on Sept. 17. Sorenson’s Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Casey Mears and David Stremme finished the race 11th and 26th respectively.
