10 Questions: Sorenson

10 Questions: Sorenson
Reed Sorenson has grabbed a double handful of NASCAR racing gusto in 2006, as the young Georgia native is competing full-time in both the Nextel Cup and Busch series.
Sorenson, 20, drives No. 41 Dodges in both series for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

But he also has interests outside of racing, and discusses some of them in 10 Questions.

1. If you have an iPod, what's on that bad boy?
Sorenson: Yes, I do. It's got about 1,000 songs on it -- about 500 that I listen to and the other 500 that I don't.

What I'm picking and choosing to listen to definitely depends on my mood. If you've got to get in a fast-paced mood, you've got to listen to some 50 Cent or some Eminem -- or something like that.

If you just want to relax, you've got to listen to some country music. Rascal Flatts is probably my favorite country group.

2. What's your ideal break from the racing grind -- or are you at a stage in your career where you don't consider it an aggravation?

Sorenson: It seems like this year, running the full schedules in Nextel Cup and the Busch series, is going to be a long year. But being 20 years old, I feel like this is what I want to do and I can take a break later in life.

3. What's your favorite outdoor activity?

Sorenson: Lately, I've been trying to play golf. I'm not very good at it, but I do enjoy going out with some friends and playing.

A handicap? I usually shoot in the 90s -- or right at about 100. But I have a good time doing it.

We played over at Birkdale Golf Club in Huntersville [N.C.] the other day and that seemed like a nice golf course to play on. But it doesn't matter to me because any golf course is pretty cool.

4. Which show is "must see TV" for you?

Sorenson: It would either be King of the Hill or The Simpsons. Those adult cartoon comedies are pretty funny. And I love Family Guy.

5. What's No. 1 on your life's "to do" list?

Sorenson: As far as goals, it would probably be winning a Nextel Cup championship, as far as my racing career.

I haven't really set a timetable for doing it. I would settle for whenever I can. It wouldn't matter to me when I did it or how long it takes, but just to be the best, I'd like to get there, at some point.

6. If you could go back in time, what period in history would you like to live in, and why?

Sorenson: It would be World War II and that era [and] just to experience what everybody in this nation had to experience to make it through a time when uncertainty was the main thing to worry about.

I think it would be interesting to see how everybody worked together to make it through something like that.

Just reading about it in school and studying that period, and seeing how everybody pulled together, and how everybody just did their part to do what they had to do to defend our freedom is something pretty cool and that I'd like to have seen.

7. What would you consider to be your No. 1 guilty pleasure?

Sorenson: Eating a lot because I really like to eat, a lot. And I like to eat anything.

I try to eat healthy stuff, but I enjoy eating candies and stuff like that a lot, too. Skittles is probably my favorite brand of candy.

8. What's the most embarrassing moment you'll own up to, either in or out of racing?

Sorenson: I don't really have too many embarrassing moments in the racecar, at least that I can remember. Somehow, I think my parents might have a couple that they could share. But I don't really remember any.

Some of the other ones, I probably shouldn't talk about.

9. Who is the coolest or most impressive person or celebrity you've had the opportunity to meet?

Sorenson: Well, I haven't gotten to meet too many celebrities yet, but the other week [at Atlanta] I got to talk to Deuce Bigelow [Rob Schneider] and David Spade and I don't know the other guy's name that played in Napoleon Dynamite [Jon Heder].

But I met those guys and Rob was pretty cool because he actually started talking about racing with me instead of doing like a lot of guys like that will just do with you -- they'll just blow you off and shake your hand or whatever.

But we started talking about racing and he was asking me all kinds of questions about it, so that was pretty cool.

10. What time do you go to bed most nights, and on the other end, what time do you get up most mornings?

Sorenson: It varies. I go back and forth, but I'd probably have to say I go to bed somewhere between 11 and 12 at night and I get up anywhere between 7 and 9:30 in the morning.

It depends on the situation. If I've got something early I have to do I have to get up no matter what but if I don't have anything, sometimes I'll sleep in a little bit. It all depends.

Source: Nascar.com
Read AutoNews

Mayfield expresses concern about slow start

Mayfield expresses concern about slow start
Jeremy Mayfield wants to make one thing crystal clear about his sorry start this season: "I didn't forget how to drive, I can tell you that."

Then what is behind Mayfield's fall from championship contender in the season-ending chase the past two years to the stumbles that have him 34th in points this season?

"I don't even know what it is," Mayfield said. "I like all the guys on the team, I think they like me. It just ain't happening."
Mayfield has had troubles adjusting to the revamped team put in by car owner Ray Evernham after last season, when the No. 19 Dodge finished ninth in the 10-driver chase.

Chris Andrews oversees Mayfield's car. Two years ago, Kenny Francis was Mayfield's crew chief. Last year, it was Richard "Slugger" Labbe, with Francis as the team director.

Now, Francis has Mayfield's Evernham teammate, Kasey Kahne, off to his best Nextel Cup season so far at third in the points.

Evernham's third team, driven by Scott Riggs and led by Rodney Childers, is 29th in points, but has two top 10s -- two more than Mayfield -- this season.

Mayfield is starting to wonder when and how Evernham will step in.

"Ray's on top of everything that goes on," Mayfield said. "And yet, we're this far in the season and I don't see the urgency right now for some reason of why we are running bad.

"I think he's just patiently trying to hope it will all work out," Mayfield said. "But if we're not careful, 10 races will be in and we got 16 races to go and we won't be in the Chase."

Evernham said he retains confidence in his equipment, engines and race team structure, but he understands Mayfield's concerns.

"He's had some bad luck and now people are unhappy," Evernham said. "I guess that's to be expected."

The switches last November left Mayfield scratching his head and frustrated with another adjustment. Mayfield has faced changes often since joining Evernham in 2002, "And I hate it. I'm ready to settle down here and race a little while."

Mayfield acknowledges problems clicking with Andrews -- and the results show that. The team's best finish so far this season is 16th at Bristol Motor Speedway last month.

"I'm sitting there trying to feel Chris out, he's trying to feel me out on how to communicate," Mayfield said.

There have been race-day adjustments on the car that haven't worked and minor pit-road foul-ups that have cost them, he said.

"All of a sudden, all that stuff has added up," he said. "Now, we've got to go say, 'Wow, reality has set in, we're not running like we need to run."'

If things don't turn around soon, Mayfield said, it's natural for people to lose confidence. "Then all of a sudden the rumor mill starts flying and things start happening," he said. "This is going to make or break us."

Evernham wonders why Mayfield's team hasn't clicked so far, while Kahne and Riggs have.

"It's like having three kids and two of them are doing really well, but you're more concerned about the one who isn't," Evernham said.

Evernham and Mayfield met last week to talk about improvements. Evernham asked what Mayfield thought would increase performance and the driver pointed to upgraded engineering support and better communication among the team. "He just doesn't feel like his cars felt like last year," Evernham said.

Evernham said his organization has made changes to the Dodge Charger and to the race chassis.

"We think that it's better for the Charger, and Jeremy just doesn't like those changes," the car owner said. "So we are trying to get him more stuff like he had last year."

Mayfield worries it already may be too late, saying, "I considered two races ago a critical point."

Mayfield is signed with Evernham Motorsports through 2007. He said he hopes to stay beyond that, and knows he'll have to improve the team's performance.

"You kind of let things happen and you hope for the best," Mayfield said. "But it's not going to work out like we are right now. If we keep doing what we've been doing, it ain't going to work. So we've got to do something different. What that is, I don't know."

AP Motorsports Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report

Source: Nascar.com
Read Formula 1 News