Catchfence

DRIVERS: Scott Speed (No. 82) / Reed Sorenson (No. 83)
EVENT: Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 (Sprint Cup)
DATES: Friday-Sunday, July 30-Aug. 1, 2010
TRACK: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.

+NEWLYWEDS: TWO MONTHS LATER

The last time we went to the Poconos, it was no honeymoon. Just days before the June 6 event, we swapped crew chiefs and key personnel. Two months later, our two teams are still newlyweds, but we’re beginning to settle into the groove and back to take on the tricky triangle that is Pocono Raceway.

82 . SCOTT SPEED CRITICAL CONTACT: Speed kept the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota in position for a strong showing at the Brickyard 400 until lap 78 when he and Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 car made contact in turn one. Speed was forced to limp the No. 82 back to pit road with a blown left-front tire and dropped from 20th to 34th. He later returned to the lead lap and finished 25th.

LITTLE VICTORIES: Each time Speed’s gone to Pocono, he’s improved. His debut at NASCAR’s only three-turn track, in June 2009, ended with a 32nd- place finish. He returned two months later and finished 23rd — this after restarting second with 30 laps go and keeping clean through some of the most fierce racing at Pocono in recent memory. Earlier this season, Speed climbed to as high as seventh with 30 laps to go before brushing the outside wall. He came home 20th.

VITAL SIGNS: Speed slipped two spots to 26th in the standings — 13 points out of 24th.

RAISE THE RAF: The No. 82 Red Bull Toyota has been running at the finish of 23 consecutive races dating back to last November at Texas. That mark (active streaks only) ranks tied for fifth with Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin. First is Kevin Harvick (32), followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth (27), and Jeff Burton (24).

83 . REED SORENSON OVER BEFORE IT BEGAN: Not much you can say here. Sorenson’s No. 83 Red Bull Toyota got collected in a multi-car accident in the second turn of the first lap of the Brickyard 400. It was a classic case of nowhere to go, resulting in major front and right-side damage. The No. 83 crew busted its hump to get the car back on the track 36 laps later, but Sorenson later reported an electrical problem. He retired after 89 of 160 laps, finishing 25th.

SORENSON’S QUOTE FROM THE DAY: “I just can’t believe that happened in the second corner.”

TOUGH, TRICKY TRIANGLE: Pocono’s 2.5-mile triangle hasn’t been kind to Sorenson since he debuted there in June 2006. His best start is 10th (August 2007); his best finish 20th (June 2009). He’ll also be going back and forth from Pocono to Iowa Speedway — site of Saturday’s Nationwide Series race — where he’ll drive Braun Racing’s No. 32 Toyota.

VITAL SIGNS: The No. 83 sits 24th in the car owner standings, 144 points behind the No. 98 in 23rd.

FRONT-ROW FINISH: The No. 83 Red Bull Toyota has a history, a nice history, with Pocono. The car, with Brian Vickers at the wheel, led 18 laps and finished second in June 2008. Fourteen months later, BV finished sixth.

- Red Bull Racing Team, Press Release