After overcoming a one-lap deficit two times in one day and getting a good grip on the steering of a very loose-handling race car, it looked like Reed Sorenson and the No.41 Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit team were on their way to a well-deserved top-10 finish. Unfortunately, just when they thought they had overcome the worst and were working to turn a top-15 running position into a top-10 finish, the 12th incident of the competition began unraveling as the No. 9 car lost control on lap 189 of the 200-lap race. Cars checked up to try to avoid the wrecking car and before he had any time to react, Sorenson was collected in the wreckage. The No.41 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) car was done for the day after that, and checked out of Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 30th-place finish.
Sorenson lined up in the third-starting spot to take the green flag on Saturday. The first quarter of the race Crew Chief Brian Pattie and team worked to loosen up a somewhat tight-handling Dodge Charger for Sorenson. Then, as they embarked on the second quarter of the run, their efforts proved to have worked … but maybe a little too well. The car now seemed to take a turn toward the loose side, lacking rear grip.
From there, the day would continue to have its highs and lows. In less than 20 laps, between laps 56 and 73, the team addressed a tire issue, fell a lap down in the process due to a poorly-timed yellow flag, and then raced to get the lap back by the time the fifth yellow flag of the race waved on lap 66. Sorenson and crew overcame one more lap deficit before spending a good portion of the last quarter running around the top 10. It looked like that would be where their day would end, but when the No. 9 car got loose just ahead of Sorenson’s car on lap 189, there was no way for the 21-year-old racer to escape. The nose of the No. 41 CGRFS Dodge was completely demolished, but luckily Sorenson escaped the incident unscathed. The No. 41 was placed 30th on the final race rundown.
Sorenson’s teammate Juan Pablo Montoya finished 20th. David Stremme, driving the No.22 SuperCuts Dodge for Fitz Racing finished fifth.
The No.41 Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit team now stands 32nd in the NASCAR Busch Series owner points. They are just 50 points outside the top 20.
The Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit team and Sorenson will proceed to Atlanta Motor Speedway next week to run the Nicorette 300 on Saturday, March 17. The race will be broadcast on ABC (LIVE, 2: 30pm ET).
CGRFS Driver Quoteboard
REED SORENSON: “That was a hard hit, but I’ll be ok. Not so sure about the car though. I just feel bad for the guys on this Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit team. Luckily, they got a nice top-five finish in Mexico, but we just can’t seem to catch a break. I started out the day a little tighter than I wanted to be and we seemed to get a handle on it, but then the car just lost all of its rear grip, and then the front faded as the race progressed.”
