On a night where they desperately needed a solid finish to keep their championship hopes alive, the Dollar General team achieved just that- an eighth-place finish in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night. After a 17th-place qualifying effort and struggling with an ill-handling race car for the first half of the 250 lap event, Reed Sorenson and his team never gave up their fight, clawing back through the field for the group’s 16th top-10 of the season. With the finish, Sorenson remains in third place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship point standings, 45 points out of the lead.
While running 16th, Sorenson remained quiet on his team radio through the first 66 circuits, communicating with his crew only after the first caution flag of the night waved on lap 67. He explained to the team that his car was loose in the corners and he was lacking grip on the exit of the corners. Crew chief Trent Owens called for air pressure and spring rubber adjustments along with four tires and fuel. Sorenson took the ensuing lap- 78 restart in the 17th spot.
With the front end of the Dollar General Chevy still needing grip in the center of the corners, Sorenson brought his machine down pit road after the third caution flag was shown to the field on lap 139. Sorenson’s team made quick work of the stop and gained their driver two spots on pit road after making air pressure and wedge adjustments in addition to four tires and fuel. Sorenson restarted in the 13th position on lap 145. The adjustments proved beneficial as Sorenson cracked the top 10 on lap 158.
The caution flag was waved again on lap 159 and Sorenson vacated the 10th position on track to come down pit road, wanting more of the last adjustment as he felt it would continue to improve his car. Because he was only one of two cars to come down pit road, he restarted 16th on lap 170. Again, the adjustments helped and by lap 189, Sorenson was able to rejoin the top-10. When the final caution flag waved on lap 210, Sorenson was ninth and came down pit road for one last set of adjustments. The Dollar General team again proved their prowess on pit road, gaining their driver a spot to restart eighth. The field took the last restart on lap 220 and Sorenson did all he could to catch the No. 88 car in front of him, but remained in the eight spot through the final 30 circuits.
“This Dollar General team fought so hard for this top-10 tonight,” Sorenson said after the race. “We struggled with hitting on the balance there in the beginning, but after continuing to adjust and pick up spots on pit road, we were able to come away with a solid finish. All we can do is continue to put forth our best effort and put ourselves in a position for good things to happen. I believe in this team and we will continue to fight until that final lap in Homestead. We aren’t giving up.”
Next Stop: The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves to the Midwest for their second trip to Chicagoland Speedway for the Dollar General 300. The 300-mile race will be held Saturday, September 17th at 3:30 p.m. and broadcast LIVE on ESPN2 and MRN affiliates.
Another Top 10 at Richmond
#32 Dollar General Chevrolet
