Sorenson Finishes 23rd at MIS
Results from Michigan
1. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford
23. Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge
40. David Stremme, No. 40 Coors Light Dodge
43. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 17, 2007)-Reed Sorenson battled an extremely slick race track and incredibly loose race car throughout the entire Citizen Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). It took multiple pit stops and adjustments before the Target Dodge was drivable for Sorenson, but the team never could quite put a finger on its handling woes. Sorenson and crew managed to complete all but two laps of the scheduled 200 and bring home a respectable 23rd-place finish, moving up one position in the overall standings to 24th.
Crew chief Jimmy Elledge called for significant air pressure adjustments during the first round of green flag pit stops that began around lap 30, to tighten up the rear end of the car. The change made the front end tight in the corner, but the rear was still too loose on the throttle, so the crew reversed the change later on and went a step further with a wedge adjustment to give the car more bite (grip with the rear). The change helped the car considerably, but it was still too loose for Sorenson to make a run for the leaders. The team continued to work on the chassis with each pit stop and Sorenson searched for different grooves on the track to hopefully find some grip. It just wasn’t to be found with the No. 41 Target Dodge at MIS on Sunday.
The Target team moved up to 24th in the overall NEXTEL Cup Series ranks at the completion of the race at MIS. The team sits 123 points out of 20th position and 353 out of 12th – the final transfer position for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
There were four cautions for a total of 19 laps. The Target team pitted six times, twice under green flag conditions. The time of race was 2 hrs, 42 mins, 05 secs, and the average speed was 148.072 mph.
Sorenson and the No. 41 Target team head to Infineon Raceway next for the Save Mart 350 on June 24. The race is set to go green at 2 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on TNT, MRN radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128.
CGRFS Driver Quoteboard
REED SORENSON: “Man, I don’t know what was wrong with the car today, or all weekend for that matter. It was wicked loose right off the truck and we just couldn’t seem to work it out. It almost felt like something was wrong with the rear end. We’ll just have to take a good look at it once we get it back to the shop. The guys worked hard on it and Jimmy (Elledge) got the car a little better with some adjustments during the race, but it was a handful today. We’ll get it worked out for next time and hopefully have a better go of it.”