Sorenson Finishes 34th at Michigan International Speedway

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet
34. Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge
38. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Wrigley’s™ Big Red® Dodge
43. Dario Franchitti, No. 40 Wrigley’s™ Juicy Fruit® Dodge

 

CONCORD, N.C. (June 16, 2008) – 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 34^th-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 32^nd 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 34^th. 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.

Chip Ganassi Racing Teams

With eight wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 97 trips to victory lane. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 60 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have 12 wins and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the Grand American team has won two Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the three-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.