Juan Pablo Montoya
Richmond International Raceway Advance Notes
Race: Crown Royal Presents Dan Lowry 400 on Saturday, May 3 (NSCS) (LIVE, FOX, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Track: Richmond International Raceway (3/4-mile D-Shaped Oval)
Location: Richmond, VA
Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Team (NSCS)
NOTES
Back in Black: Texaco/Havoline will be back on the hood of the No. 42 Dodge Charger this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
P12: Montoya now sits 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver standings following his runner-up finish at Talladega Superspeedway. Montoya jumped five spots in the standings and is currently eligible for the “Chase to the Sprint Cup” following the 26th race of the season. Montoya is 318 points behind series leader Jeff Burton and 55 points out of 10th heading into this weekend’s race at RIR.
Richmond ‘07: Montoya competed in the two races as a rookie at RIR last year and finished 26th and 41st in the events. Despite having an average start of 15.5, his average finish is 33.5. Montoya and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline team started with a fairly strong top-15 run through the first 100 laps of the April race of 2007, a tap from the No. 12 car on lap 119 sent the No. 42 up into the No. 70 car. Montoya and team didn’t give up. Instead, they took the setback that dropped them back to 38th place and stuck it out to call it a day in 26th.
Montoya lined up 15th at RIR in the fall and proceeded to maintain a top-15 run the entire first half of the race. Then, on lap 242, the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge was running 10th when a multi-car accident left Montoya with no way to escape as he was hit from behind and pushed into the car ahead of him. Unfortunately, the No. 42 was damaged beyond repair forcing the team to call it a night in 41st place.
Last Race: Montoya and the No. 42 team earned their first top-five finish of 2007 last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Montoya drafted to a second-place finish on the rear bumper of eventual race winner Kyle Busch. Montoya may have had something for the leader on the final lap, but the caution flag waved before he could make his move on Busch. The runner-up finish tied Montoya’s best finish at an oval (Indianapolis 2007). It was also a successful first outing for Montoya and his new Crew Chief Jimmy Elledge.
Bonus Points: Montoya and the No. 42 team earned their first bonus points of the season when they led their first lap of 2008 at Talladega with a push from the No. 11 car, which finished the race third.
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 Texaco/Havoline Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #817. Montoya and the team have not raced chassis #817 this season.
