BIOGRAPHY - REED SORENSON
To say that 22-year-old Reed Sorenson is an accomplished racer, especially for his age, is somewhat of an understatement. Ever since Reed has been behind the wheel, he has been racing and beating drivers much older than him, many times racers old enough to be his father.
So when, at the age of 17, Reed won the coveted American Speed Association Rookie of the Year title in 2003 (the youngest driver to ever win that honor), it was just another giant stepping stone toward a very bright future for the Georgia native.
Then came the 2004 season... the biggest of Reed's career.
Not only did the 19-year-old graduate from Woodward Academy in Atlanta, but he also took huge strides in his racing career.
Reed returned to the American Speed Association and was a championship contender all year long. In fact, heading into the last race, it appeared Reed would have the ASA Championship locked up had he
not fallen the innocent victim of someone else's accident. But not to take away from the year Reed had in ASA, he collected his first career ASA win, in what might have been the biggest event of the year - ASA's debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.
However, ASA was just the tip of the iceberg in 2004.
"Dad has been with me every step of the way in my racing career, from Quarter Midgets to the present."
Growing up, Reed watched his father race on most weekends. Sorenson got a rush out of the engines revving, the high speeds and the competition at the track. It seemed only natural for him to follow in his father's footsteps.
Reed's trek up the racing ladder began when he was only six-years-old when he began in the Quarter Midget Division. He won nine Southeastern championships before being crowned the National Champion in 1997.
During his time in Quarter Midgets, he earned more than 250 checkered flags and scored 15 different track records throughout the country. In 1996 he set fast time qualifying records at both the East and West National events.
Then it was on to Legends, where Sorenson prevailed. In five full seasons of competition in the Legends Series, Reed compiled one of the most impressive records in series history. It included 84 wins, 152 top five and 166 top 10 finishes in 183 starts. At the same time, he became the only Legends competitor to ever score a record $12,000 purse in consecutive Superbowl events in 1999 and 2000.
In 2002, Reed began his run at ASA by competing in eight events and finishing in the top-10 an impressive seven times. Reed also competed in six Southern All Start Late Model races, racking up three wins and four top-five finishes.
“Buddy Baker (one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers and TV commentator) and I knew right when he began racing ASA that this kid was going to be good,” said SPEED Channel motorsports commentator Bob Dillner. “He has a knack for adapting to any racetrack. The key to Reed is that at just an early age, he already has the patience and poise of a 25-year veteran.”
Reed ran for Rookie of the Year honors with ASA in 2003 and recorded seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 17 races. He finished fourth in the final ASA National standings and won the $50,000 Rookie of the Year prize.
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team owner Chip Ganassi is known for having an eye for talent and he first signed Reed to a driver development contract in 2003. Ganassi’s insight on future talent is legendary; he brought Alex Zanardi and Juan Montoya through the open-wheel ranks and Jamie McMurray and David Stremme in NASCAR.
In 2004, Ganassi put Reed in several ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series races and Reed didn't disappoint.
Sorenson ran three ARCA races for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the 2004 season at Michigan, Talladega and Charlotte. Sorenson won in only his second start in the ARCA car at Michigan International Speedway in June. He also had a second and fourth-place finish at Talladega and Charlotte respectively.
Reed Sorenson also got his first Busch Series experience in 2004 with a four race stint in the No. 41 Discount Tire Dodge (and one race in James Finch's #1 Dodge).
Again, Sorenson did not disappoint. In his five Busch starts, he had one top-five and three top-10 finishes and turned heads all around the series by leading for 49 laps in the fall race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
So by no means is Reed wet around the ears to this racing thing; the 2008 season will be Reed's 16th full season of competition. The faces that have surrounded Sorenson and his success are still the same, and they all have one thing in common, a yearning to help Reed to get to victory lane as often as possible.
"Racing has been a part of me and my family for as along as I can remember. It's always been a family affair," said Reed. Reed's father, Brad, has been the greatest influence in his racing career.
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