Fast Facts: Reed Sorenson


Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images/Sean Gardner

Reed Sorenson, currently the substitute driver for Michael Annett in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford Mustang in the Nationwide Series, was a prodigy in Legends cars before making the switch to stock cars. Find out more about the Georgia native’s past racing exploits in this week’s Fast Facts.


  • Bradley Reed Sorenson was born February 5, 1986 in Peachtree City, Georgia. He started racing quarter-midgets at age 6, winning the national championship in 1997. In 1998, Sorenson moved up to Legends cars and won more than 120 events over the next four years, breaking many records and winning southeastern championships.
  • In 2002, Sorenson moved to stock cars in the American Speed Association (ASA), making eight starts and earning seven top 10 finishes. With a full-time schedule in the series in 2003, Sorenson won the ASA Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year award at age 17; he also caught the eye of Chip Ganassi, who signed Sorenson to a driver development contract.
  • In 2004, Sorenson made three ARCA Racing Series starts and five Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) starts for Ganassi. He finished in the top five in all three ARCA starts, including a win at Michigan; he also had three top 10 finishes in the five Busch Series starts. In 2005, Sorenson moved up to the Busch Series full-time in the No. 41 Dodge for Ganassi, winning his first race at Nashville Superspeedway and finishing second to Carl Edwards in the Rookie of the Year race.
  • Late in the 2005 season, Sorenson made his Cup Series debut for Ganassi, in preparation for driving the No. 41 Dodge full-time in 2006. That season, he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year battle behind Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer; he also competed full-time in the Busch Series, finishing 10th in points.
  • Sorenson remained with Ganassi through 2008, after which he signed on with Gillett Evernham Motorsports for 2009. When GEM merged with Petty Holdings early in 2009, Sorenson was announced as the new driver of the historic No. 43 for the newly-organized Richard Petty Motorsports. Another merger, this time between RPM and Yates Racing, left Sorenson out of a ride in 2010.
  • Sorenson spent the next few years racing part-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series for a number of teams. Driving for Turner Motorsports in 2011, Sorenson won his first Nationwide Series race since 2007 at Road America. He started 2013 in the No. 40 of The Motorsports Group in the Nationwide Series, but was brought in as Annett’s substitute following his injury in the season-opening wreck at Daytona.
  • Find out more about Sorenson’s current team, Richard Petty Motorsports, at www.richardpettymotorsports.com.  

Fast Facts: Reed Sorenson Fast Facts: Reed Sorenson Reviewed by Paula on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Rating: 5