Race Report - Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway
Results from Lowe’s Motor Speedway
1. Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Dodge
22. Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge
30. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
31. Sterling Marlin, No. 40 Target/Wii Fit Dodge
MONTOYA FINISHES 30TH IN 600-MILE RACE
CONCORD, N.C. (May 25, 2008) --- Juan Pablo Montoya drove the Texaco/Havoline Dodge to a 30th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It was the first weekend with Crew Chief Brian Pattie atop the pit box for the No. 42 team.
The weekend began with a tough practice session on Thursday and a 42nd-place qualifying effort. As the weekend went on, Montoya and Pattie began to gain a better understanding of one another and developed a plan for race day. When the green flag waved for the Memorial Day weekend event, Montoya told Pattie the car was extremely loose. Montoya was still able to battle his way up 29th after a round of green-flag pit stops on lap 49. When the caution flag waved on lap 54, Pattie called for fuel only to try and gain some track position as only 31 cars remained on the lead lap. Several other teams had the same strategy, so with only two cars behind him on the lead lap Pattie called Montoya back down pit road for fresh tires.
The call for tires proved to be the right one as Montoya restarted the race in 28th on lap 66. By lap 100, Montoya was now 18th but still a little loose in and tight off corner. The second round of green-flag stops began on lap 155, and Montoya came down pit road on lap 120 for a chassis adjustment and tires. He would continue to battle in the top 20 until shortly after the restart on lap 166. Montoya was trying to pass the lapped car of Patrick Carpentier on the inside, but was pinched down. Montoya instinctively drove the car onto the grass rather than maintain his line and hit the No. 10 car which would have caused a huge incident. Unfortunately, Montoya spun through the grass and broke two braces on the front splitter.
The team made several pit stops to replace the braces, but eventually fell a lap down to the leader. He also had to make two unscheduled stops when the rear tires felt loose on the Texaco/Havoline Dodge. The team continued to work on the handling of the car throughout the remainder of the race, but Montoya finished the event in the 30th position, four laps down to the leader.
Montoya fell one spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver standings to 17th following the 12th race of the 2008 season. He now sits 191 points out of the 12th position, the cut-off to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Montoya and his team are testing at Pocono Raceway on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Dover International Speedway this weekend.
About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.
With six wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 95 trips to victory lane. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Daytona Prototype in the world of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 59 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have 12 wins and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the Grand American team has won two Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the three-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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