SORENSON’S IMPRESSIVE RUN IN MEXICO ENDED BY LATE-RACE DISAPPOINTMENT 

“This is my least favorite part of this sport and it’s days like this we all scratch our heads and wonder what could’ve or should’ve been done to prevent this,” said Sorenson after he climbed from the No. 41 Dodge Sunday.  “I know this will be addressed back in North Carolina this week.  Of course, none of us are happy right now about it, but at the same time Brian [Pattie] and all of the guys on my Discount Tire team can’t hang their heads with what we managed to overcome this weekend in Mexico. 

"We had a couple of problems to battle on Friday.  We did that and had a clean qualifying run yesterday.  Then, we came all the way from the back of the field today and were strong contenders.  I know Brian was eyeing a top 10, but I really think we were on the verge of a top five there.  Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve is all good, but this is what we were dealt.

I know we’ll learn from it and hopefully this will not be a reoccurring problem because I know I have my eye on that championship as well as everyone involved with this great race team.”

The CGRFS team qualified to start the Telcel-Motorola 200 in the 25th position, but had to take the green flag from the very back of the field due to another engine failure it encountered earlier in the weekend.  The team lost its engine during final practice Friday, but went to work to rebound from the setback and after Sorenson’s qualifying run on Saturday the crew looked optimistically to its run Sunday. 

The No. 41 Discount Tire team had quite the keen game plan as it raced this weekend at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, and it was all playing out in its favor as Reed Sorenson maintained a top-10 run the majority of the day.  Unfortunately, the clever and inspiring performance never got to come to fruition due to an expired engine on lap 61 of the 80-lap race.  The premature ending relegated the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) Busch team from a sixth-place run to a 36th-place finish. 

The scenery for this week was a little bit different than usual for Reed and the rest of the Busch Series racers.  (Getty Images Photos)

Just as the race was getting underway, the first yellow flag waved on lap five.  Crew chief Brian Pattie decided to take advantage of the early-race pause to call Sorenson to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel.  Racing resumed on lap eight with the No. 41 in 33rd place.  Two laps later it was 28th. 

Sorenson noted he sensed more engine woes as he was completing the 11th lap of the race, calling over the radio to his team, “There is a vibration.  It feels like it could be the motor.”

Pattie heeded his driver’s feedback and focused on the car as it sped by him down the front stretch to see if there were any other indications of engine trouble, but the only thing he and the rest of the team saw was their car progressively moving up through the field. 

Another yellow flag waved on lap 18.  Opting not to pit to gain more track position, Pattie advised his driver to conserve fuel under the caution and as racing returned to green on lap 22, Sorenson was fifth. 

The pit strategy was paying off for the CGRFS team.  Pattie continuously reminded his driver to conserve fuel under the yellow-flag conditions that followed so their pit strategy could play out as planned. 

Sorenson went on to move around inside the top five until the team made its second and final pit stop of the day under green on lap 45.  Sorenson came down pit road in second place for four tires and fuel, and then rejoined the field in 21st.  Just 10 laps later, the Discount Tire car was back inside the top 10.  

“You’re doing a good job, buddy,” Pattie commented to his driver over the radio.  “Stick in there and we’ll get a top 10 out of this.”

By lap 58, Sorenson was sixth and still charging forward.  Unfortunately, as he was working his way around the 2.518-mile road course on lap 61 the disappointing words came over the radio, “We just blew up.”  The car’s engine had expired with less than 20 laps left to run.  The blow took the team from a top 10 to a 36th-place finish.

The Discount Tire team now stands 15th in the overall NASCAR Busch Series standings.  It will work to recover from its setback in Mexico City this weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., during the Sam’s Town 300 on Saturday, March 11.  The race is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on FX (TV), PRN (Radio) and XM Radio Channel 144.