Sorenson Finishes 36th at Martinsville
The No. 41 Target team and Reed Sorenson overcame multiple hurdles Sunday at Martinsville Speedway to make it to the finish line in the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. The biggest setback of the day came on lap 387 when Sorenson and team lost a rear gear and had to go behind the wall to fix the transmission. They resurfaced less than 30 laps later to rejoin the field and make it to the end in 36th place.
Reed climbs in his car at Martinsville (ActionSportsInc. Photo)
As the race got underway Sunday afternoon under very cloudy and cold conditions, Sorenson and the Target team were pretty happy with the handling of their No. 41 Dodge except for a slightly snug fit in the corners of the .526-mile track. Crew Chief Jimmy Elledge took advantage of four out of the first five yellow flags that waved in the first 105 laps to make minor adjustments. Nearing lap 200, Sorenson radioed to say he was making it through the turns really well as the team watched its car move up just outside the top 15 in 16th place.
The second-half of the Target team’s run took a different turn as the car seemed to just let go of the
track. Then, the typical beating and banging of the Virginia short track started playing out. First, Sorenson was sandwiched between two lap-down cars nearing lap 275 that smashed in both sides of the No. 41 Dodge. The team pitted for fresh tires and minor sheet metal repairs. Next, Sorenson got collected in a Turn Two incident that involved contact between the No. 48 and No. 12 cars. Fortunately, the Target car escaped that incident without any major damage, as well.
On lap 387 Sorenson had to suddenly park his car in the garage after loosing a rear-end gear, which was a problem that seemed to visit multiple cars in the 43-car field Sunday. Again, the No. 41 team went to work to make the necessary repairs to get Sorenson back on track less than 30 laps later to run the remaining 80-plus laps and finish 36th.
Sorenson now stands 26th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver ranks. He is 224 points out of 12th place – the final cut-off position for the Chase.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next for the Samsung 500 on Sunday, April 6. The race is set to go green at 2 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on FOX (TV) and PRN (Radio).
