Ill-Handling Car Results in 34th Place Run for Reed at Michigan

Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Target Dodge battled for 400 miles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) Sunday afternoon.  Sorenson took the checkered in 34th-place, three laps down from the race winner, Earnhardt Jr. 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) qualifying was cancelled Friday afternoon when rain fell upon the Irish Hills forcing the cars to line up based on Sprint Cup Owners points.   Sorenson rolled off 32nd for the Michigan 400.

When the green flag waved, Sorenson discovered immediately the handling of his Target Dodge was tight. With only one yellow flag in the first 90 laps of competition, the No. 41 team had limited opportunities to make adjustments to the car, other than under green flag conditions. The changes made during the first two pit stops brought little relief to Sorenson as the car grew difficult to handle with each lap. On lap 40, the 22-year-old fell one lap behind the race leader while running in the 40th position.

On lap 93, Sorenson finally received an opportunity to make major adjustments when a caution flag was issued for debris. While under the yellow, crew chief Donnie Wingo called for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help the loose rear of the No. 41 Dodge.  For the remaining 100 laps of the race, Sorenson and team battled a lack of grip in the rear of the car and continued to make several adjustments throughout the race. 

The No. 41 Target Dodge crossed the finish-line 34th.  Sorenson managed to complete 200 of the 203 laps, as the race was extended three laps due to a green-white-checkered finish. There were eight caution periods for 22 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 203-lap race.

The 34th-place finish kept Sorenson 32nd in the championship driver standings, with a post-Michigan total of 1179 points. The No. 41 entry is 32nd in the series' owner standings with 1179 points, 358 points out of the top 20.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the June 22 Toyota/Save Mart 350k at the road course in Sonoma, Calif. The race begins at 5 p.m. ET on TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 3:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.

Reed side-by-side with teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.  (Action Sports Photo)