After solid top-ten finishes for both Reed Sorenson and Scott Speed in Daytona last week, things didn’t go quite so well in Chicago. Sorenson wrapped the day two laps down in 27th after starting 24th, and Speed crossed the line in 30th after starting 39th.
"The car's handling was not too far off all night,” said Speed. “However, we are still missing something. It was a tough night for us; hopefully the off weekend will help us regroup and find what we need for the second half of the season."
Sorenson is the third driver to sub for the Red Bull team as regular driver Brian Vickers recovers from complications due to blood clots. Vickers’ blood thinner therapy will prevent him from racing for the rest of the year.
Although Sorenson’s three-race deal with the team ended with the checkered flag in Saturday’s LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, he already wants more.
"Hopefully we can run more races – I think that's the plan." –Sorenson
“Two months ago, I didn’t expect to be in that car at all, so getting the chance to race is good,” he said. “I was happy to get in the car and hopefully we can run more races – I think that’s the plan as long as everything goes well.”
Considering he’s the youngest ever pole-sitter at the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the Cup Series goes next, having Sorenson stick around for at least one more weekend might not be such a bad idea.
Another thing in his favor is a familiarity with No. 83 crew chief Jimmy Elledge, who Sorenson worked with when he moved to the Cup Series four years ago with Ganassi. A move to Richard Petty Motorsports last season didn’t end well, with Sorenson’s ride evaporating when the team merged with Yates Racing for 2010.
“I worked with Jimmy before and he kind of knows my driving style, so I think that’s going to help us a lot,” Sorenson said. “I just get out there and give Jimmy the best feedback I can and we go from there. You have to go off what you have that weekend and try to make our changes based on what we think the track will do.”
All in all, Sorenson has performed well in his three starts with Red Bull, including taking the team’s third best finish of the season in Daytona a week ago.
As he prepares to continue in the No. 83, Sorenson knows he needs to stay focused, since his Red Bull gig means he’ll race in both Nationwide and Sprint Cup events each weekend.
“Doing both can make for long days, and going back and forth is always tough because right now the cars do drive quite a bit differently,” he said.
“You just have to think about it and, when you go from one to the other, you have to remember the differences between the two and what you did the last time you were in the car.”
Up next for Red Bull Racing is the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 25th.
Stay on track with the latest from nascar.com. You can also follow Brian Vickers on Facebook and keep up with Scott Speed's Twitter feed.
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