BUSCH: St. Louis: Chip Ganassi Racing preview

Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Dodge Team Facts:

* Those are Some Sweet Stats: Reed Sorenson has only raced at Gateway International Raceway two times in his young NASCAR career. His first run in July 2005 is one he will never forget as he scored his second-career win after starting from the outside pole. Sorenson took over the lead on lap 168 of the 200-lap competition that year and never looked back. He piloted the No. 41 Dodge over the final 33 laps in commanding fashion to earn his second NASCAR Busch Series win of the 2005 season. Last July, he scored his second-consecutive top-five at the 1.25-mile oval, turning a top-15 start into a fourth-place finish. Sorenson's Gateway stats tally currently stands at two starts, an outside pole position, one win and two top-five finishes.

* Reed Redeems Himself at Wrigley Field: This past Monday, Sorenson and fellow teammates David Stremme and Juan Pablo Montoya took in the Chicago Cubs baseball game. They rolled up to the historical field in Dodge Chargers wrapped in Wrigley's Juicy Fruit®, Winterfresh® and Big Red® colors. Sorenson then threw out a strong first pitch which made up for his previous attempt in 2005 when he undershot a first pitch at Wrigley. The Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) trio wrapped up their visit by leading the Cubs fans in the seventh inning stretch song, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

* Lauletta Joins CGRFS: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. announced earlier this week Steve "Jake" Lauletta has been named president of the organization according to Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Chip Ganassi. Lauletta will oversee all aspects of Chip Ganassi Racing's business and marketing operations including both its Concord and Indianapolis facilities. He will be charged with creating and implementing the company's overall strategic direction as it relates to sponsorship acquisition and retention, organizational branding and communications and league partnerships. Lauletta was formerly the president of Radiate Sports, the sports marketing division of Omnicom's The Radiate Group, a global network of independently branded, best-in-class marketing service agencies. Lauletta was responsible for Radiate Sports' overall strategic marketing direction, including leading new sports business development enhancing The Radiate Group's current clients' sports marketing initiatives in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. A graduate of the University of Norte Dame and a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Lauletta and his wife Jamie reside in Charlotte, N.C.

* Happy Birthday, Scott!: Scott Vogelsong, the No. 41 Wrigley's Juicy Fruit shock specialist, is celebrating a birthday this upcoming July 23. Happy Birthday, Scott!

* Chassis: The bright yellow Wrigley's Juicy Fruit colors will be carried by chassis #754 this weekend at Gateway. The car has raced only one other time this season at New Hampshire International Speedway earlier this month, when the No. 41 team scored a top-15 start and top-10 finish.

* Standings Update: Sorenson's 15th-place finish at Chicagoland this past Saturday gave the No. 41 Wrigley's team another step up in the NASCAR Busch Series owner standings where the team is now listed 21st overall with a current tally of 1,983. The team is just three points outside of the top 20 and 65 points away from 15th.

* Clauson and Stremme Team up in Virginia: CGRFS development driver and future pilot of the No. 41 Busch Dodge Bryan Clauson will go ASA racing this weekend at the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va. Clauson will be driving the No. 40 Memorex car in this Saturday's (July 21) ASA night race. He will be racing for team owner and future teammate David Stremme, who will also be making the calls from the pits serving as Clauson's crew chief.

Kevin Hamlin and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Busch Series Dodge Team Facts:

* Flash Back to Gateway: This weekend's NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) 250 will be Hamlin's second run at Gateway international Raceway. Back in 2005, Hamlin raced at the St. Louis, Mo., area track in the No. 4 car for Fred Biagi. Present teammate, Reed Sorenson took the win in the No. 41 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) Dodge and Hamlin finished 23rd.

* Chassis: Hamlin will pilot chassis #752 in Illinois this weekend to run the NBS 250. The car most recently carried Wrigley's Winterfresh® driver David Stremme to a 14th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway last month. Before that, in early April Stremme used the same car at Nashville to break the track qualifying record en route to his career-second NASCAR pole position. He then topped it off with a top-15 finish--11th place.

* Next Up for Hamlin: After racing in St. Louis this weekend, Hamlin will head to the O'Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) with the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline team to compete in the Kroger 200 next Saturday, July 28. The run will mark his sixth NBS run of the 2007 season.

* NBS Points Update: Juan Pablo Montoya's 21st-place finish this past weekend at Chicagoland Speedway helped the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Busch team maintain its 15th-place stance in the NBS owner points. The team is just 155 points away from the top 10.

-credit: cgr