Juan Pablo Montoya
Darlington Raceway Advance Notes
Race: Dodge Challenger 500 on Saturday, May 10 (NSCS) (LIVE, FOX, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Track: Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Location: Darlington, SC
Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Wrigley’s™ Big Red® Dodge (NSCS)
NOTES
Bold Colors: Wrigley’s Big Red brand will once again adorn the hood of the No. 42 Dodge Charger that Montoya will pilot at Darlington Raceway this weekend. This will be the third race for the Big Red paint scheme this season.
Darlington ‘07: Montoya has competed in just one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway and his first experience at the track dubbed “Too Tough to Tame” was an eventful one. Montoya and the No. 42 team overcame a rain postponement, an incident on the track and a run-in on pit road to finish 23rd. The top-25 finish also earned him rookie of the race honors last year.
2008 Standings: Montoya slipped four positions in the standings after his 32nd-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last weekend. Montoya was 12th after his runner-up finish at Talladega, but dropped to 16th heading into this weekend’s race. Despite sitting outside the top 15, Montoya is just 66 points out of the top 12. Positions 12 through 17 in the standings are separated by less than 100 points. Following the Richmond race in 2007, Montoya and the No. 42 team were sitting 21st in points.
Last Race: Montoya spun on lap 138 and then was collected in a multi-car incident on lap 231 that forced the No. 42 Dodge behind the wall for repairs at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). The No. 42 crew repaired the damaged Dodge in 20 laps and then sent Montoya back on the track to take the checkered flag in 32nd place. By repairing the car, the team was able to gain five positions on the track before the end of the race.
Testing: The No. 42 team participated in the two-day NASCAR sanctioned test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday. It was the first test session for Montoya and Crew Chief Jimmy Elledge.
He’s “SIRIUS” Again: For the second year in a row, listen to SIRIUS Satellite Radio every Tuesday on channel 128 for the “Juan Pablo Montoya Report.” Montoya will provide exclusive updates on the No. 42 Team; give post-race downloads and share his thoughts on the events of the season. He will also chat with hosts David Poole and Mike Bagley on “The Morning Drive” every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
CHASSIS INFO
No. 42 Big Red Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #731. Montoya and the team raced this chassis just once this season at California Speedway and earned a 20th-place finish.
