Talladega: Reed Sorenson preview

Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge

Target Team Fast Facts:

* Talladega Tidbits: Sorenson has just one Busch Series start at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, which came in last season's Aaron's 312. He started the event in 20th and was methodically working his way through the field before getting caught up in the first caution of the day on lap 16. The crew repaired the car and Sorenson was able to finish the event in 32nd. In addition, he has one ARCA Series start at Talladega that resulted in a second-place finish in 2004.

* Restrictor-Plate Performance: Sorenson has six starts at restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega) in either the NEXTEL Cup (1), Busch (4) or ARCA Series (1). He has two ninth-place finishes at Daytona (Busch, Feb. '06 & '05) and one second-place effort at Talledega (ARCA, 2004). Sorenson's lone NEXTEL Cup race at a restrictor-plate track resulted in a 29th-place finish in this year's Daytona 500. He was running 12th when he cut a tire on the final lap of the event.

* NEXTEL Cup Points Report: Sorenson and the Target team dropped five positions to 24th in the standings after getting caught up in an accident in the last event at Phoenix International Raceway. They are only 52 points out of 20th and 97 out of 15th. Sorenson is 204 points out of the top-10 but just 74 points shy of the 400 point cut off from the standings leader in order to qualify for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

* Chassis: Crew Chief Jimmy Elledge and the Target Team have selected chassis #604 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup event at Talladega. This is a new superspeedway car built this season, specifically designed for Talladega.

* Rookie Round Up: Sorenson currently sits fifth in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings with 66 points. He trails leader Clint Bowyer by 19 points. Sorenson has captured rookie of the race honors in two of the eight races run thus far in '06 (Atlanta -- 10th-place finish, Martinsville -- 12th).

* Busch Series Update: Sorenson made a huge jump (six positions) in the Busch Series standings after his runner-up finish last weekend at Phoenix. The Discount Tire team currently sits 11th and is just 13 points outside of the top 10 and 142 out of the top five.

Reed Sorenson on Talladega...

"We're taking a new car to Talladega this weekend. You have to prepare the Talladega and Daytona cars a little different, because Daytona is more of a handling track and you need to have some downforce built in while at the same time having as little drag as possible. Talladega isn't as much of a handling track so you can eliminate the downforce aspect and build the car for all out speed. The guys in the shop have spent a ton of time on this car and it should be very competitive throughout the weekend.

"I'm starting to get the hang of drafting, but at the same time I have a lot to learn. Much of what happens in a restrictor-plate race is out of your control, but you have to drive smart and try and put yourself in the right place at the right time. It's hard to make friends out there, especially as a rookie, but hopefully if I help someone the favor will be returned. Ideally I'd like to get hooked up with my teammates late in the race so we can make a run for it. The most important thing is to try and stay out of trouble and hopefully miss the "Big One" if it happens."

-cgr-