Juan Pablo Montoya
Talladega Superspeedway Advance Notes
Race: Aaron’s 499 on Sunday, April 27 (NSCS) (LIVE, FOX, 1 p.m. ET)
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile Tri-Oval)
Location: Talladega, Ala.
Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Juicy Fruit Dodge Team (NSCS)
NOTES
On the hood: The Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit brand will adorn the hood of the No. 42 Dodge this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Juicy Fruit is not only a popular chewing gum brand in the United States, but also in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.
Atop the pit box: Montoya will hear a new voice over his radio this weekend for the Aaron’s 499 as Jimmy Elledge takes over crew chief duties for the No. 42 team. Elledge has been with CGRFS for five years and led the No. 41 team since joining the company.
QVC for JPM: Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Dodge, will make his worldwide debut on QVC’s “For Race Fans Only” on Friday from 8-10 p.m. EST. Joining long-time Host Dan Hughes, Montoya will be live from Talladega Superspeedway where he’ll be talking die-cast and motorsports with some of America’s most passionate and loyal fans. Tune in this Friday, April 25.
Dega in ’07: Not only has Montoya run twice in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway, he also made his stock-car debut at the 2.66-mile track in 2006. Last year, Montoya and his No. 42 team finished 31st and 15th in the two events. He was running in the top 10 on lap 149 when a steering failure forced him to bring the car to pit road. The team repaired the Dodge, but fell six laps down to the leaders to finish the Talladega 499 in the 31st position. In the fall event, Montoya was running in third before the final restart but was shuffled out of the draft and finished the race 15th.
Last Race: Montoya and the No. 42 team earned their seventh-consecutive top-20 finish of 2008 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) two weeks ago. Montoya drove the No. 42 Dodge from a 15th-place starting spot to a 16th-place finish on Saturday night.
2008 Standings: Montoya moved up two spots in the driver standings to 17th following the race at PIR. The team made huge strides towards the “Chase to the Sprint Cup” two weeks ago, as Montoya sits just 61 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 Juicy Fruit Dodge (NSCS): Chassis #808. Montoya and the team have not raced chassis #808 this season; however this is one of the cars the team tested at Daytona International Speedway during Preseason Thunder.
