Another top-10 finish at Charlotte would be just fine for Reed Sorenson. Credit: Autostock

Sorenson searching for enough gas for victory

String of bad luck has soured near-wins at California, Dover

CONCORD, N.C. -- On what was a Dodge night Thursday in Bud Pole Qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway, rookie Reed Sorenson fired his latest salvo in an attempt to knock down the proverbial wall blocking his first Nextel Cup win.

Fellow Charger driver Scott Riggs won his second pole of the season for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 and was one of five Dodge drivers in the top 10.

Dodge drivers took the top four spots for Saturday's Bank of America 500. Credit: Autostock

Bank of America 500 Lineup Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. S. Riggs 191.469 28.203 2. K. Kahne 190.194 28.392 3. C. Mears 189.613 28.479 4. E. Sadler 189.023 28.568 5. K. Harvick 188.739 28.611 6. J. Burton 188.574 28.636 7. M. Martin 188.574 28.636 8. C. Bowyer 188.482 28.650 9. Sorenson 188.239 28.687 10. J. Johnson 188.193 28.694 • Complete lineup, click here Pole winnerScott Riggs wins pole for Saturday, Dale Jr. qualifies in 17th Fast timesJeff Burton and Matt Kenseth both look strong at Lowe's quals Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

But Sorenson was possibly more enthused by his ninth-place run, in 28.687 seconds, an average speed of 188.239 mph.

In the last month, Sorenson has come within a few gas fumes -- literally -- of winning races at speedways in California and Dover, Del.

He hopes that streak of ill fortune ends Saturday.

"We've had some bad luck in the last couple of races," Sorenson said. "It's nobody's fault, but it's been rough."

Last weekend at Talladega, the engine in Sorenson's No. 41 Dodge failed, relegating him to 39th position. The week before, he wrecked at Kansas and was the first car out. Through all that he's dropped three spots in the standings, to 24th.

Before that, his Jimmy Elledge-led team showed plenty of promise.

At California Speedway on Labor Day weekend, Sorenson led eight of the last 10 laps, but finished 21st.

Three weeks ago, at Dover, Sorenson was sitting in second as the laps wound down but finished 11th when he ran out of gas with less than two laps remaining.

In May at this venue, Sorenson qualified 23rd for the Coca-Cola 600 and finished 10th. All of the rookie's five top-10 finishes this season have come on 1.5- and 2-mile racetracks so he feels the time is right.

"This is a place where we can turn it around," Sorenson said. "Hopefully we'll end up somewhere near the front and have a good race Saturday night."

At Charlotte in the spring, a race that began in daylight and ended at night, Sorenson didn't lead but finished on the lead lap after 600 miles.

Saturday night's event is held entirely at night, and Sorenson said his experience Thursday night bodes well for him and his Chip Ganassi Racing team.

"We picked up a lot [in qualifying] -- like seven-tenths, so that's quite a big pickup," Sorenson said. "The car was pretty good [and] I'm happy with it.

"We made the adjustments we needed."