Reed Sorenson: NASCAR's Next Phenom That Almost Was

Dale Earnhardt Jr. invites a one-time rising star in the NASCAR garage, Georgia’s own Reed Sorenson. After having a meteoric rise from the American Speed Association to becoming a development driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, Reed was on everyone’s radar in stock car racing. He would enter the O’Reilly Series ranks in winning fashion, just narrowly missing out on Rookie of the Year honors to NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards. Ganassi tabbed him to replace Casey Mears in the Cup Series, and before Reed knew it, he was living his racing dreams at the young age of 20. Once there, though, Reed quickly realized that every rung up the ladder in racing brought more challenges, and a series of missteps and bad deals would leave him searching for a stable opportunity in racing.

Reed comes from a racing family. His father, Brad, was a longtime mainstay in the Southeast late model scene, running local tracks like Lanier on a weekly basis and even making a Busch Grand National start in 1992. Once Reed was old enough to reach the pedals, though, his family focused completely on his racing endeavors. He’d start out in quarter midgets and win his way across North America before graduating to Legend cars. Legend cars led to late models, and Reed caught the eye of Lorin Ranier during his time racing with ASA, which helped facilitate his introduction to Ganassi. Reed would experience the triumph of being one of the sports’ top prospects before years of dealing with the cruel reality of the world of racing.

Dale Jr. and Reed discuss his rapid ascent to the NASCAR Cup grid, his near-misses and opportunities, and his departure from full-time racing.

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