After a disastrous outing in Indianapolis, USA last week, Reed Sorenson would have to wreck on the parade lap this Sunday for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 to be worse.
The No 83 Red Bull Toyota driver got caught in a second-corner crash in the Brickyard 400 and went 35 laps down right out of the gate. Once he got going, he drove a little more than 220 miles before he retired from the race with a mechanical problem.
'It would be good to have a car that’s better than last time the team was there' – Sorenson
In all, he completed just 89 of a scheduled 160 laps and was classified 35th. To add insult to injury, No 83 Red Bull Toyota crew chief Jimmy Elledge was fined $25,000 after the car failed a post- practice inspection on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Sorenson is looking for his luck to turn around at tricky Pocono’s 2.5-mile triangle that isn’t exactly his best track. The good news is that he scored his best ever finish there when he crossed the line 20th in the Sprint Cup’s first visit last season.
Getty Images/Red Bull Photofiles
And Casey Mears’ experience a month ago in Pennsylvania will help Sorenson, but not in the usual way. While Pocono was Mears’ second best result in his six starts in the No 83 Red Bull Toyota, it also came as a result of an overtime wreck that eliminated eight cars and boosted his finish by several spots to 23rd.
“I watched a little bit of that race but they struggled there a little bit so I’m sure we’ll try something a bit different than they had last time. I think I’d like to go the other way,” said Sorenson.
“It would be good to have a car that’s better than they did the last time the team was there.”
And Sorenson could likely use a good car to help change his luck in the Quaker State. His average start there in nine tries is a less than impressive 26th and while he’s finished eight times in Pennsylvania he’s crossed the line 30th or worse in there of his last four starts. He’s also looking to be kept on with the No 83 team, so a good result would go a long way to making that happen too.
But it won’t be easy as Sorenson will have a busy weekend as he racks up some frequent flyer miles between Pocono Raceway and Iowa Speedway where he’ll drive in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.
Getty Images/Red Bull Photofiles
Pocono will also mark the first race where Speed returns to a track where he’s already driven under the watchful crew chief Ryan Pemberton, who swapped jobs with Elledge prior to the early June stop in Pennsylvania to take the control of the No 82 Red Bull Toyota garage.
For more from Pocono, visit our dedicated event page.
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