STEADY VEGAS RUN BOOSTS DISCOUNT TIRE TEAM BACK UP THE RANKS

“The car was pretty sporadic there during the second half, but before that it was great and I hoped it would hold on. It was fast along the bottom.” Sorenson commented. “I am still trying to pinpoint what the culprit was but I am sure this freezing weather didn’t help us. I do know I had my hands full there for a good bit and am speculating the brakes had something to do with the mishandling, but I am going to talk more with Brian [Pattie] and the guys when we get back to the shop this week to see what we can gather from comparing what I was feeling in the car here today to their findings after they look the car over. Still, very happy to be walking out of here with a top 10. We didn’t start where we wanted to, but finished all right. We’re moving up in the standings again, so that is a lot better than taking steps back like we did last week.”

It was a full day of competition for the NASCAR Busch Series, as the teams qualified in the early afternoon and went racing later that same day. Sorenson was the first driver to take to the 1.5-mile track to make his trial laps for the Sam’s Town 300, and by the end of the qualifying session the No. 41 Discount Tire team was 27th on the starting grid.

Just a little more than three hours later ,the fourth NASCAR Busch Series race of the 2006 season got the green to go racing and Sorenson didn’t waste any time turning his top-30 start into a top-15 charge.

The team opted to not pit during the first yellow flag of the race on lap 11, as Sorenson and his crew chief Brian Pattie concluded don’t fix it if it isn’t broken.

A consistent performance on a very frigid afternoon resulted in another top-10 finish for Reed Sorenson and his No. 41 Discount Tire team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Sam’s Town 300 on Saturday. The solid effort also moved the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team up two positions in the overall NASCAR Busch Series standings—into 13th place, just 15 points out of 10th. Sorenson is now 11th overall in the driver standings.

“The car feels really good. It’s a little free on entry, but no real reason to come in. It’s getting better,” Sorenson said to his team over the radio.

By lap 21 of the 200-lap competition, he was 15th and not letting up. He went on to move all the way up to as high as 13th before green-flag pit stops started. Pattie called the 20-year old Discount Tire driver to pit road on lap 61 under green- flag conditions. The team took on four tires and fuel, and as the rest of the teams completed their green-flag stops the No. 41 was back inside the top 15 in 14th place.

Just as the halfway point of the race was approaching and the outdoor temperature decreased even more, Sorenson radioed his team saying the brakes felt funny. “The brakes feel like they are locking up and making the car loose on entry, then tight through the center. Something is really strange about this,” he said.

Still, Sorenson was able to hold on to his top-15 run and even posted some of the fastest laps on the track as the race was leading into its last quarter of competition.

Pattie encouraged his driver to stay focused and to do the best he could, “You’re doing a good job. Keep up the good work. We still have a good car and can get out of here with a top five.”

Running in ninth place, the Discount Tire team pitted for a third and final time on lap 152 under yellow-flag conditions. After taking on four tires and fuel, the No. 41 CGRFS Dodge was back on track and back in ninth place.

Sorenson went on to hold down his top-10 position the remaining 40 laps, but an untimely yellow flag waved on lap 200 due to oil on the race track. The last-lap interruption was a disadvantage for many of the competitors, but as racing returned to green Sorenson was able to hold off the field behind him to bring home his second-consecutive top-10 finish from the Vegas track, crossing the finish line in 10th place.

The Discount Tire team now ranks 13th in the overall NASCAR Busch Series standings Sorenson and team head to his home state of Georgia to race at Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend in the Nicorette 300 on Saturday, March 18. The race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on FX (TV), PRN (Radio) and XM Radio Channel 144.