Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Target Dodge Team Facts:
It Keeps Going and Going… The No. 41 Dodge will sport the Energizer® e2® Lithium paint scheme this weekend in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. The dynamic silver and blue paint scheme will feature Energizer® e2® Lithium, the World’s Longest Lasting Battery in High Tech Devices, alongside the famous Energizer Bunny®.
Extra Man: The Energizer Bunny® will be on hand during pre-race ceremonies and in the pits on Sunday to give “long lasting” support to Reed Sorenson and the Energizer/Target team.
Golden State Natives: Two members of the Target team hail from California. Crew chief Jimmy Elledge (Redding, Calif.) and shock specialist Roger Parkinson (San Diego). Prior to joining Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) in 2003, Elledge served as crew chief for Andy Petree Racing from 1999-2002. He made his first trip to Victory Lane with driver Bobby Hamilton at Talladega Superspeedway on Apr. 22, 2001. Parkinson has been building shocks since 1976 and began working in NASCAR full-time in 1993. Prior to joining CGRFS in 2003, his NASCAR experience includes working for Bill Elliott Racing, Ohlins Racing Shocks and Andy Petree Racing.
Running on Empty: Sorenson and the Target team came up just two laps shy of capturing their first victory in last season’s second California Speedway race on Aug. 3. A pit strategy gamble afforded Sorenson a commanding lead coming to the checkered flag, but the fuel cell ran dry relegating the team to a 21st-place finish.
Points Report: Reed Sorenson and the Target team currently sit 12th in the overall NEXTEL Cup Series standings after a solid performance in the season-opening Daytona 500. The team is only three points out of the top 10 and just 66 points out of first place heading into California.
Chassis: Crew chief Jimmy Elledge and the Target team have selected chassis #702 for this weekend’s NEXTEL Cup race at California Speedway. This is a new car and it will hit the track for the first time on Friday.
