DARLINGTON RACEWAY TOO TOUGH TO TAME FOR SORENSON AND TARGET TEAM
Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Target Team had their hands full for the 367 laps battling handling issues in the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. The Target driver managed to cross the finish line 32nd at the 1.336-mile track Saturday night.
Darlington Raceway may have resurfaced its asphalt, but this didn’t stop many drivers from earning their “Darlington stripe” throughout the weekend. The No. 41 team fell victim to “the lady in black” during the last practice session on Friday when the Target Dodge hit the wall in turn 2. The team pulled out the backup car, but with little time remaining in the practice session, the car’s first time on the track would be qualifying.
Reed's Target Dodge crosses the finish line for the Daytona 500 in the fifth position. (NASCAR/Getty Images Photo)
The No. 41 Target Team started the 500-mile event from the 39th position. In the opening laps of the race, Sorenson was hit from behind when slowing down to avoid an accident between the No. 19 and No. 20 cars. The team came in to fix the slight damage on the left rear and change four tires. Throughout a series of green-flag pit stops and many cautions, Donnie Wingo and the crew made several adjustments to help the handling of the Target Dodge.
Sorenson continued to combat the track and the tight handling race car for the remainder of the event, finishing 32nd several laps down from the leader. The team dropped two positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup owner’s points to 32nd.
Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya finished 23rd in the No. 42 Dodge on Saturday night, one lap behind the race winner. NASCAR veteran Sterling Marlin, standing in for Dario Franchitti, finished in the 34th position after enduring issues with the cooling system in the No. 40 Dodge Challenger.
Next week Sorenson and team will race for a chance to compete in the All-Star event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The No. 41 Target Dodge will race in the Showdown in an effort to transfer into the main event. Teammate Montoya has already earned his spot in to the Sprint All-Star Race with his win in Sonoma last June.
The Sprint All-Star Showdown is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET with live television coverage provided by Speed Channel starting at 7 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be broadcast by the Motor Racing Network (MRN). The Sprint All-Star Race will follow on Speed with live coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
TOP- Reed and his mother at driver introductions. BOTTOM- The 41 races Kasey Kahne. (Action Sports Inc photo)
