Pit Road Infraction, NASCAR Miscommunication Takes Sets Sorenson Back at California
Sorenson settled into position during the opening laps of the event. The No. 41 Dodge was slightly loose for about 10 laps on new tires, but as other competitors would begin to fade Sorenson’s car remained fairly consistent or got faster. On lap 14, he began his initial charge to the front and when the first of seven cautions came out on lap 30 he had raced up to 17th.
“The car was loose at the start Jimmy, but it got pretty good before the caution,” Sorenson told crew chief Jimmy Elledge. “I don’t think we should make any changes because there are probably going to be a lot of long green-flag runs.”
Elledge agreed so he called Sorenson onto pit road for four tires, fuel and no adjustments to the chassis, and that would
be the case the entire race which indicated how well the No. 41 Target Dodge was running. The over-the-wall crew performed the service and sent Sorenson back out in 17th.
Racing resumed on lap 35 and after a little more than 10 laps, Sorenson began another impressive run towards the front. He maneuvered his way up to seventh before pitting under green-flag conditions on lap 77, and after a lightening fast pit stop he cycled out in fifth place. Sorenson went on to run in the top five until the second caution on lap 87.
Reed Sorenson and the Target team clearly had one of the best cars in the field for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, racing from a 29th-place starting position up to fifth by lap 81 of the 250-lap event. Unfortunately, an infraction on pit road during a round of green-flag stops put them a lap down. Sorenson and crew were able to rally back, only to have a legitimate shot at a top-10 finish snatched away after miscommunication from NASCAR. The odds were against the Target team all day, but they stayed focused, finished 21st and proved to the other competitors they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in ’06.
Reed's #41 leads the pack at California. (Getty Images)
Sorenson took the next green flag on lap 92 in 10th because some teams opted to pit for two tires while the No. 41 team chose to take four. He continued to race inside of the top 10 until pitting under green once again on lap 134. During the pit stop, a lugnut fell off of the left rear and as a result Sorenson was called back on to pit road. The penalty caused the Target team to lose a lap to the leader, but everyone remained positive they could overcome the situation and reposition themselves back on the lead lap.
The field remained green for an extended period, which made it difficult for anyone to get a lap back. Finally, on lap 195 the third caution flag flew, bunching up the field and increasing the chances for Sorenson and crew to get the “Lucky Dog” pass.
When the sixth caution flag flew on lap 224 the Target team had positioned itself to get the free pass back on the lead lap, or so the team thought. Sorenson took the yellow flag in 18th and in front of the No. 11 car, which was battling for the same position. NASCAR told the No. 41 crew and driver they were the beneficiaries of the pass and therefore Elledge called Sorenson on to pit road for four tires and fuel.
After further review, however, it was determined the No. 11 was slightly in front of the No. 41 when the caution came out. The miscommunication cost the team a ton of track position and ultimately a
shot at a top-10 finish. Sorenson handled the situation like a professional and went on to take the checkered flag in 21st.
“We had a really fast car today,” said Sorenson after climbing from the Target Dodge. “The pit road deal definitely hurt us, but we had a car capable of getting back on the lead lap. The long green-flag run hurt our chances, but we eventually got ourselves in position. We thought we had the lap back with about 25 laps to go and had we gotten it I know we could’ve finished in the top-10, if not better. I guess the No. 11 was in front of us when the caution actually came out.
“I’m really pleased with how the car ran today. We were one of the fastest cars all day and that is a big confidence booster. We certainly would’ve liked to finish better, but we can leave here knowing we had a competitive race car. I can’t wait to get to Las Vegas and give it another go.”
The Target team moved up five positions in the overall standings to 24th, and they are only 83 points out of the top-10 heading into the next event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12. Sorenson is currently tied for fifth in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and is 11 points behind leader Clint Boyer. Sorenson’s Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Casey Mears and David Stremme finished seventh and 33rd respectively.
