Reed Sorenson knows his three-race deal with Red Bull Racing is a tryout to run more events. But that doesn’t mean he’s overwhelmed with pressure.
Reed Sorenson Hoping To Earn Wings For Red Bull Ride
“I’ll tell ya, I’m more excited than feeling the pressure, just because of the opportunity,” Sorenson said Friday, his first day driving Red Bull’s No. 83 car as a substitute for Brian Vickers. “I’m excited to get in the race and do the best we can, and hopefully this three-race deal will turn into something longer. That’s kind of my goal.”
Sorenson had driven three Cup events for Braun Racing this season (as well as 10 Nationwide races) after losing his ride at Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of last year. This is the first year since he came into the Cup Series that he’s been without a full-time ride.
So though he sympathized with Vickers, who is out for the season with blood clots, Sorenson said he let Red Bull know he was available right away and was “ready to go” if the team ever needed him.
Casey Mears had a short stint with the team that didn’t work out, which led to Sorenson getting his chance.
"I think we just gotta be smart," Sorenson said of his goals. "These guys are looking for consistency and to just be smart all weekend and to try to show a little spark and what they had last year. I think that's what they're looking for.
“I don’t think we have to go lead half the race and win the race or anything like that. If we can finish good, then that’s what we need to do and not do anything stupid.”
Sorenson said from what he can tell in sharing driving duties of Braun’s Nationwide car with Vickers, the two drivers have very similar driving styles. Plus, Sorenson worked with crew chief Jimmy Elledge when both were at Chip Ganassi Racing and has remained friends with Elledge through the years.
That means the team has “high expectations right off the bat,” Sorenson said.
“We don’t expect to use this as a mulligan race or anything like that, we expect to go out and run well,” he said.
Sorenson has always been viewed as a laid-back driver, but he said that’s “probably just because of my personality.”
“I don’t talk a lot or get too excited,” he said.
In that case, perhaps his Red Bull ride could help both his on- and off-track image.
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