Sorensons Reflect on Family as Mother's Day Approaches
“His racing career took us so many places we probably would have never taken as a family trip if he hadn’t been racing. Places like Canada, Washington state and California are just some places I can think of off the top of my head.
“Reed’s sister [Ashley] made friends all over the country who she met when she was seven or eight and she still stays in touch with them today. We became so close to some families that are just as close to us as our blood relatives, so it really has been an irreplaceable experience.”
Reed also reflected on the important role his mother has played throughout his career:
Reed: “My mom took car of a lot of the business side of my racing career. All of the paperwork the team needed to have done, my mom had a hand in it. She did all of that stuff and then worked for my dad, too. Both of them did a lot for me, but dad and I joked sometimes that she liked racing so much that she liked it even more than we did.”
Now, as Reed is in the middle of his second fulltime season as the driver of the No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge in the NASCAR Busch Series and in his first fulltime season as a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver (No. 41 Target Dodge), Becky realizes help isn’t a bad thing and Reed never forgets the sacrifices his mom and dad have both made to get him where he is today:
With Mother’s Day this Sunday, Reed Sorenson and his mom, Becky Sorenson, took a timeout earlier in the week to reflect on their relationship and the impact racing has played in their lives, as well as the rest of their family, including Reed’s dad, Brad, and sister, Ashley.
Becky spoke briefly about what it was like to raise a race car driver:
Becky: “First, of all you get them in the cars when they are young and you consider it more of a hobby than anything else. I don’t know at what point I realized there was actually the possibility he could make a career out of it. I think it was probably sometime during middle school, but it has been very fun watching him grow up through the years and every series he competed in was always very family oriented so it made it a great experience for all of us.
Becky: “I did handle his fan club and handed that over when I realized I was a bit overwhelmed. It really has become a fulltime job and I finally decided to let a company manage it at the beginning of this year. I still get requests. In ASA, he got voted most popular driver in 2004 and that is when I first started getting overwhelmed and could see where I would need help or would have to seek other routes to handle it.”
Reed: “As far as my racing goes now, it’s nice my parents don’t have to work so much anymore because up to this point they worked a lot. It was a lot of hard work to get me where I am today and they have been there through all of that. Now, they can just sit back and enjoy the racing.”
“I think everybody whose parents have helped them pursue a dream or goal, want to give back to them everything they’ve given to us. I am sure one day when I have kids I’ll be the same way. I don’t know if you can ever really pay your parents back though. You would like to, but there is probably nothing you could ever do to match what they did for 15 years when I was growing up racing. A lot of money was spent and time taken to help me through it all. I definitely never forget everything they did and still do for me.”
Becky also is very involved with Speedway Children’s Charities and spoke briefly about it:
Becky: “I have been on that board with Speedway Children’s Charities since Reed was 10 years old. I did it for myself and saw the good they were doing with so many organizations in Atlanta and the more I was around it, the more I saw how it was really impacting different peoples’ lives and other non-profit organizations. It all has been more fun than work.”
Becky was asked if she thought Reed already has something ready to go for her day on Sunday.
Becky: “He is pretty good about getting me stuff throughout the year and I like it when he gets me stuff out of the blue. He got me a guitar signed by George Strait out of the blue one time during a concert he went to. So, I am not really expecting anything this weekend, except a win on Friday or Saturday would be nice. He won his first and only ARCA race on Father’s Day two years ago, so he owes me,” she said jokingly.
