Montoya Manages 22nd-Place Finish and Top Rookie at Las Vegas
Results from Las Vegas Motor Speedway
1. Jimmy Johnson, No.48 Chevrolet
19. David Stremme, No.40 Coors Light Dodge
22. Juan Pablo Montoya, No.42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
31. Reed Sorenson, No.41 Target Dodge
Montoya Manages 22nd-Place Finish and Top Rookie at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 11, 2007) --- Juan Pablo Montoya and the No.42 Texaco/Havoline team had three unfortunate issues that relegated them to a 22nd-place finish. Despite winning Rookie of the Race, Montoya was blocked in his pits during his first stop, received damage from the No.38 car and had a piece of debris push in the front grill that upset the handling of his Dodge Charger.
Montoya and the team began the day with high hopes after qualifying fourth for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400. The team’s first issue came on lap 10 when Montoya pitted under caution for fuel and a trackbar adjustment and the No.96 car blocked him in the pits. Instead of returning to the track in 10th, Montoya found himself 25th for the restart.
Montoya was eventually passed by the leader and fell a lap down following a green-flag pit stop on lap 83. As he was trying to catch the leader, the No.38 car came down and damaged the right-front fender on lap 91. Luckily the caution flag waved on lap 106 and Montoya was the recipient of NASCAR’s free pass back onto the lead lap.
The Texaco/Havoline Dodge got loose on Montoya and he struggled with the handling through another round of green-flag stops. He slipped back to 23rd and fell a lap down again on lap 174. He radioed to tell crew chief Donnie Wingo a piece of debris bounced in front of the car. What Montoya and the team didn’t realize is the debris hit the front of the car and pushed in the grill. It wasn’t until the team pitted under green on lap 200–because Montoya thought he had a flat–that the team noticed the damage. Montoya struggled with the car and slipped to two laps down.
The team repaired the grill following the caution flag on lap 225. Montoya was quickly back up to speed and commented on the car. He told Wingo and the team the car was much better and as good as it was at the start of the race. Although he returned to the track in 29th, he picked up seven spots over the final 35 laps to finish 22nd. Montoya and the team slipped two spots to 22nd in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings, but sit just 54 points out of the top 10.
On Saturday, Montoya struggled with the car and had a right-front flat tire which forced the team to pit under green. Montoya, with the help of his spotter, was able to maneuver through several multi-car wrecks to finish the day in the 20th spot.
CGRFS Driver Quoteboard
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA "It’s a shame today. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge was really fast today. We went a lap down and were chasing the leader when the No.38 car came down on me and damaged the right-front fender. From there, debris damaged the grill and we just went backwards. The car was un-drivable until we could come in and fix it. The important thing is the car was good from the beginning. Once you damage the fenders at a track like this, you are in for a long day. The guys will keep working on the cars and continue to make them better. But they did a great job today."
About Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
Following a strong career as a driver, Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target Stores. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, two Indy Pro Series cars and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series racing and two entries in the NASCAR Busch Series. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 50 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have nine wins and a Rookie-of-the-Year title; and the Grand American team has won two of the last three Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the two-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
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