Juan Pablo Montoya
Phoenix International Raceway
Advance Notes
Race: Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Saturday, April 12 (NSCS)
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile)
Location: Avondale, Ariz.
NOTES
Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Big Red Dodge Team (NSCS)
On the hood: The Wrigley’s Big Red brand will adorn the hood of the No. 42 Dodge this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway for the eighth race of the 2008 season. This will be the third time this season the driver and team will wear the signature bold colors of Big Red.
Phoenix Test: Montoya and the No. 42 team participated in the two-day NASCAR sanctioned test at PIR on Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4 in preparation for this weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 500. Montoya’s 27.385 second lap on day two was the quickest lap posted during the two-day open testing session. He also ran the third quickest time of the entire testing session on Monday morning when he drove around the 1-mile track in 27.454 seconds.
PIR in ’07: Montoya raced at PIR twice last season in his rookie year. Montoya and the team struggled in the April event in 2007 finishing 33rd after qualifying 36th, but improved for the fall event where Montoya qualified 14th and finished the race in 17th.
About last week: Montoya drove his Dodge Charger to a 19th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, earning the No. 42 team its sixth top-20 finish in seven races this season. Montoya’s car was inconsistent throughout the 339-lap race and with just six caution flags and several green-flag stops; finished the event two laps down in 19th.
2008 Standings: Montoya and team slipped two spots in the standings to 19th following the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The team is still in the hunt for the “Chase to the Sprint Cup”, as it sits just 135 points out of 12th heading into this weekend’s race.
He’s “SIRIUS” Again: For the second year in a row, listen to SIRIUS Satellite Radio every Monday 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 #814. Montoya and the team have not raced this chassis yet this season; however they tested chassis #814 at Phoenix International Raceway at the beginning of March. Montoya posted the fastest lap of the two-day test session with a time of 27.385 seconds.
