CONCORD, N.C. (June 9, 2008) – Reed Sorenson and the No. 41 Target Team had their hands full for 200 laps, battling handling issues in the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. The Target driver managed to cross the finish line 33^rd at the 2.5-mile tri-oval Sunday afternoon.


The No. 41 Target Team started the 500-mile event from the 31^st position. In the opening laps of the race, Sorenson radioed to Crew Chief Donnie Wingo the car was loose in and tight in the center. By lap 23, the Target Dodge was marked in the 40^th position. When the caution flag waved on lap 26, Sorenson drove his Dodge onto pit road for four tires, fuel and major adjustments. Throughout a series of cautions, the team continued to make track bar and air pressure adjustments on the No. 41 car.

Rain at lap 71 put the race under a red flag condition for about 10 minutes. When the race restarted, Sorenson was shown in 21^st place. Within just a few laps, the 22-year-old radioed his team to report the Target Dodge was loose in all three corners.

Sorenson continued to struggle with the handling of the Target Dodge throughout the course of the 200-lap, 500-mile race. A variety of pit strategies were playing out in the race. The team pitted on numerous occasions to make the needed adjustments on the No. 41. Final pit stops came at lap 177 when the last caution flag of the day waved due to a one-car spin. While running 31^st, the Target Team elected to stay out for track position, restarting in 20^th place. Handling issues on the restart relegated Sorenson to a 33^rd-place finish.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action next Sunday, June 15, for the LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. The race can be seen live on TNT at 12:30 p.m. EDT, with coverage on MRN Radio beginning at 1:15 p.m. EDT

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 59 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.