Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

Samsung 500 - Juan Pablo Montoya Notes

Juan Pablo Montoya Texas Motor Speedway Advance Notes
Race: Samsung 500 on Sunday, April 6 (NSCS)
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile)
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

NOTES

Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Team (NSCS)

On the hood: The Texaco/Havoline logo will be back on the No. 42 Dodge Charger for Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Texaco has been operating in the United States, specifically in Texas, for more than 100 years from its beginnings in Beaumont (outside of Houston). The Texaco brand has grown into one of the most trusted and familiar brands in the world.

Steady Improvements: Montoya and the No. 42 team have improved their finish in every race so far this season. After a 32nd-place finish in the season opener in Daytona, the team has finished 20th at California, 19th at Las Vegas, 16th at Atlanta, 15th at Bristol and most recently 13th at Martinsville last weekend.

Texas on Track: Montoya earned his second of six top-10 finishes last season at his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Despite the ever-changing weather that weekend, Montoya started 16th after rain canceled qualifying. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge was tight through the start of the race, but after several adjustments Montoya was battling in the top 10. Montoya finished the day in the eighth position at the 1.5-mile track. Last fall, Montoya led 10 laps at TMS before dropping a cylinder and finishing 25th.

About last week: Montoya and his Donnie Wingo-led team finished 13th at Martinsville Speedway last weekend and earned their second-consecutive top-15 finish. In three Sprint Cup starts at the short track, Montoya has finished 16th, eighth and 13th and has completed all 1,506 possible laps.

2008 Standings: Montoya and team continue to move up steadily in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and now sit 17th after the sixth race of the season. The team is just 107 points out of 12th, the cutoff to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and 282 points behind the leader Jeff Burton.

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.

QUOTES
Juan Pablo Montoya
On Texas: “Texas has been a good place for the team in the past. We had good cars at both races last year so it will be interesting to see how we do. We were fortunate enough to participate in the Goodyear Tire test earlier this year and it was good practice for us on the mile-and-a-half track. I think the test should help us get a good starting point going into the weekend in the Texaco/Havoline Dodge. We weren’t really fast off the truck or on the short runs, but we were really good on the longer runs during the test. We will see!”

CHASSIS INFO
No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #744. Montoya ran this chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after wrecking his primary car. Crew Chief Donnie Wingo and the team were able to unload the car in time for Montoya to get some practice time and finish the race in the 19th position. Although it has been rebuilt for the 2008 season, this chassis also raced twice last season at Richmond and Phoenix.