Shopping for Mother's Day with Reed Sorenson

If you think Reed Sorenson is fast behind the wheel of a stock car, you should see the way he handles a shopping cart.

Turns out, the driver of the No. 41 Target Dodge is an expert shopper.

"I can hold my own," he said. "I went to a [Target] convention once for five hours."

In time for the big Mother's Day weekend, the NASCAR driver laid down some laps around a Super Target store near his home in North Carolina offering NASCAR fans his top five picks for Mother's Day gifts this weekend.

Lap 1

Sorenson wasted no time in the pits and headed straight for the electronics department.

"All moms like remote control cars, right," Sorenson asked?

Umm, no, moms tend to enjoy mementos and gifts from the heart, which is why Sorenson spotted Chicken Soup for Every Mom's Soul.

The book, $13.45 retail, features 101 stories of love and inspiration for moms of all ages.

Lap 2

Being the efficient shopper that he is, Sorenson saved fuel and took a left turn into more books -- cookbooks to be exact.

"My mom can cook just about anything, especially Southern food," said Sorenson, a 21-year-old Georgia native.

So it came as no surprise when Sorenson picked up the The Lady & Sons Just Desserts cookbook, $15.25, filled with recipes from Savannah's favorite restaurants by Paula Deen.

"My mom watches them, this would be a good gift ... this reminds me of her scallop potatoes and broccoli cheese casserole, two of my favorites."

Apparently young Sorenson knows his way around a kitchen.

Becky Sorenson, Reed's mother, said from her home in Georgia that her son his very good on the grill and has a few cookbooks of his own.

"My kids were always in the kitchen with me," Becky Sorenson said. "Reed picked up on a lot of things so at least I know he won't starve living by himself. But I love to cook, it's a hobby of mine and I'm a total Food Network junkie."

Lap 3

Working the center isle, Sorenson digressed to talk shop. The slick floor at Super Target reminded him of the "too hard" tires he ran at the Lowe's Motor Speedway test session Monday, proving no matter the setting racing is always top on the mind for Sorenson.

Sorenson and the Target team posted the fifth-fastest lap in the evening session Monday at 184.319 mph.

Back on task, Sorenson's eye fixated on the sporting goods department. Surprisingly, he didn't lob unwanted fishing lures or a new basketball into the cart. Instead, he found the middle ground between sporty and sentimental: pink tennis balls.

"These are real nice, plus a donation goes to the breast cancer foundation when you buy 'em," said Sorenson, grabbing a canister of Wilson's pink tennis balls emblazoned with the breast cancer awareness ribbon, $2.99

Breast cancer research is something dear to the Sorenson family. Becky Sorenson supports research efforts through walks as several family members are breast cancer survivors.

Lap 4

Well into the shopping spree, Sorenson's tires were wearing and he needed refueling -- evident by his next comment:

"You're mom really likes hot pockets I hear," quipped a hungry Sorenson.

Shopping on an empty stomach can be dangerous for a driver but luckily "cart chief" Patrick Rogers steered Sorenson to the home décor department where the driver landed some snazzy Riedel wine glasses.

"This is good. There's a sign here telling you which wine glasses go with what kind of wine. These are real nice."

Lap 5

Leaving the décor department, Sorenson stalled the cart and had to serve a penalty for stopping at a Playstation 2.

But he battled back and made his way to the kitchen and bath departments where a glass vase caught his eye.

Accustomed to ordering flowers for his mother on her special day, Sorenson thought the vase would be a nice enhancement.

"I like the shape of this and you need something nice to put your flowers in," he said. "Really, the best present I could give her is me having a good race."

Sons and gentlemen, start your engines

Around her house, Becky Sorenson has on display several vases, glass bowls and other adornments from her son.

She treasures all of them equally and tells a story behind each piece.

Although this year she won't be able to display her Mother's Day present on any mantle or hold it in her hands.

Mama Sorenson, as she is referred to in the Cup garage, is traveling to Darlington this weekend to be an honorary starter in Saturday's Dodge Avenger 400 alongside several other NASCAR moms.

This will be her second year to walk across the driver introduction stage with her son, a tradition started at Darlington Raceway in 2005.

"I just love it," she said. "It's interesting to see if the drivers look like either their mom or dad."

What really impressed her about last year's Mother's Day treat was a conversation she had with veteran driver Mark Martin, who happened to be next to her son on the starting grid that day.

Sorenson said Martin, also a parent to a young son in racing, leaned over and asked her if she ever gets over being nervous when her child is on the track.

"I told him I didn't know because I wasn't over it yet," she said. "It was so neat because he talked to me like we were just two parents at the grocery store."

Her son's biggest concern that day was making sure his mom didn't slip and fall off the stage and embarrass him.

"I told Reed if I do, just keep walking and I'll just ease off the side of stage," she laughed. "No, but seriously, I will always enjoy Mother's Day at Darlington and sharing the day with my son is so nice since we don't get to see one another as often as I'd like, but he always remembers to call and that's what I love about him."