Juan Pablo Montoya
NNCS Phoenix Advance
Race: Checker Auto Parts 500 on Sunday, Nov.11
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile oval)
Location: Avondale, Ariz.
Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Team Facts:
Return to Phoenix: A temperamental No. 42 Dodge left Juan Pablo Montoya and the Texaco/Havoline team scratching their heads toward the end of Saturday night’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race in April at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), as they never managed to find the right balance with the mishandling Dodge. Montoya and the team eventually had to call it a night with a 33rd-place finish.
For Colombia: Montoya, driver of the No.42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge, is hosting a charity gala in Miami, Fla., to increase awareness about his country of Colombia, as well as raise funding in conjunction with five other Colombian charitable foundations. The stage is set for a red carpet affair that will involve more than 500 sport, business and entertainment celebrity guests. The event will be held Thursday, November 15 at the Karu & Y restaurant in Miami’s Art and Entertainment district. The red carpet is set to begin at 7 p.m., with dinner, a fashion show by Colombian Fashion Designer Silvia Tcherassi and an exclusive concert by 12-time Grammy Winner Juanes. Montoya and his wife Connie’s foundation Formula Smiles, is one of six charities that will benefit from the Gala.
Standings: Montoya lost one spot in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings following his 25th-place run at Texas Motor Speedway. Montoya led for 10 laps and was running in the top 15 when the Texaco/Havoline Dodge lost a cylinder with 120 laps remaining.
Rookie Race: Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the November 4 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. He earned a 25th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the 15th time this season. He leads David Ragan by 20 points (234-214) with two races remaining in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. Montoya is poised to become the fourth driver for Texaco/Havoline to earn the Raybestos Rookie honor (Davey Allison, Kenny Irwin and Jamie McMurray).
Chassis: Crew Chief Donnie Wingo and the No. 42 team are bringing chassis #744 to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. This will be the second time this season Wingo and the crew prepared this Avenger for a short-track race. Montoya previously drove this car at Richmond International Raceway in September. Montoya started the race from the 15th position and maintained a top-15 run until a multi-car incident left him no place to go. The No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge was damaged beyond repair and retired in the 41st position.
Celebrating 20 Years: In celebration of Texaco’s 20th anniversary in sponsoring stock car racing and a successful season for rookie Montoya, Chevron Products Company introduced its special limited edition gift card carrying the image of the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline race car and Montoya. The Texaco/Havoline branded gift cards are now available for purchase in denominations up to $100 at participating Texaco stations or online at www.texaco.com.
Sirius-ly: Montoya and the team will be featured weekly on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Driver2Crew Chatter. Driver2Crew Chatter puts fans in the car and in the pits. Fans can listen to Montoya’s radio communication with Crew Chief Wingo, Spotter Tab Boyd and the rest of the Team on channel 119. Listen in every Monday at 5 p.m. ET on channel 128 for the “Juan Pablo Montoya Report.” Montoya provides exclusive updates on the No. 42 Team; gives post-race downloads and shares his own personal experiences on his jump full-time into the NEXTEL Cup Series.
