Difficult year for Georgia drivers

This was the story of Reed Sorenson's season (AP Photo/David Graham)

Sometimes potential does not translate into results.  That has been the case with several young drivers over the past decade.  Casey Atwood and J.J. Yeley often come to mind as drivers who were unable to live up to the soaring expectations placed before them because of their potential.   

Hopefully, the two young drivers from Georgia, Reed Sorenson and David Ragan, will avoid fading out of the sport in similar fashion.

Reed Sorenson, a PeachtreeCity native, was a top prospect just five years ago when he signed with Chip Ganassi Racing’s driver development program at the age of seventeen after capturing the sought-after ASA Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of the Year in 2003.  By 2005, Sorenson was winning races for Chip Ganassi in the Busch, now Nationwide, Series. By 2006, Sorenson was competing for Rookie of the Year in the Sprint Cup Series.  Obviously, he did not even come close to that accolade.  He was the forgotten kid in the same rookie class as Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and Martin Truex Jr, all of whom have won races and competed in the Chase for the Championship.

Since he entered NASCAR’s highest level of competition, Sorenson has remained in also-ran status.  Blame it on equipment if you want, but the fact is, on paper, he has been somewhat of a bust.  Sorenson left Chip Ganassi Racing following the 2008 season hoping to turn over a new leaf with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, who eventually merged with Petty Enterprises forming Richard Petty Motorsports.

The sponsorship dearth haunted two of RPM’s four teams, the No. 44 of A.J. Allmendinger, and the No. 43 of Reed Sorenson.  Allmendinger was more consistent throughout the season, which is why he survived the latest RPM-Yates merger while Sorenson received the short end of the stick.  After rotating through eleven different primary sponsors and three crew chiefs, Sorenson is now without a Cup ride.

He scored only one top ten and finished 29^th in the championship standings.

Sorenson will likely head back to the Nationwide Series, as he is a leading candidate to pilot one of Braun Racing’s Toyotas in the Nationwide Series.  At the age of 23, Sorenson has ample time to recover from a disappointing beginning to his Cup career.  Perhaps a return to the Nationwide Series would work wonders for his confidence.

Sorenson’s dedication has been questioned in the past, but he nullified that perception when he raced the final half of the season without pay.  Well, maybe he received a small portion of the prize money, but even if that were true, it was far less than he is accustomed to. 

David Ragan, the successor to Mark Martin in the No. 6 at Roush Fenway Racing and son of former driver Ken Ragan, has displayed flashes of speed throughout his three-year career, most notably in 2008.  In fact, Ragan nearly snuck into the Chase for the Championship.  Expectations were high for Unadilla, Georgia native heading into the 2009 season, as many analysts projected that he could qualify for the Chase for the Championship.

Unfortunately, Ragan took another giant step back.  He only scored two top tens, and placed 27^th in the final standings.    

Roush Fenway Racing was perceptibly off their game in 2009, which is a viable excuse, but the bottom line is, an excuse is an excuse.  His struggles far surpassed those of his teammates. 

Ragan, who will turn 24 years old on Christmas Eve, is entering a make or break season.  After three years, he has finished in the top 20 in the standings only once, which is absolutely unacceptable in the Roush camp.  The pressure will increase if he fails to produce, and even more so if Jack Roush’s up and coming Nationwide Series prospects, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Colin Braun, exceed their already towering expectations.

These guys have a ways to go before they reach the same status as Georgia’s favorite driver, Bill Elliott.