Race Report - Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International
Results from Watkins Glen International
1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota
4. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Dodge Charger
31. Reed Sorenson, No. 41 Target Dodge
TOP-FIVE FINISH FOR MONTOYA AT THE GLEN
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 10, 2008) --- Juan Pablo Montoya battled from the 25th-starting spot in Sunday’s final road course race of the season at Watkins Glen International (WGI) to finish fourth in the No. 42 Dodge Charger. Montoya worked his way through the field to earn his first top-five finish with Crew Chief Brian Pattie and moved up three positions to 22nd in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
Rain canceled all track activity on Friday, so the No. 42 team had two practice sessions on Saturday to get the car turned properly for the 90-lap event on Sunday. Montoya was fast right from the start and finished the first practice third on the speed chart. The set-up the team worked on was quick at the drop of the green flag as Montoya maneuvered his way up to 15th by lap 10.
Pit strategies began to unfold around lap 20 when the first cars started to head down pit road for service. Montoya was sitting seventh when Pattie called him in for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment on lap 27. Pit stops cycled through at lap 32 and Montoya was running in the 12th position. He continued his assault on the field while he worked his way up to 10th on lap 40 and was running seventh when the caution waved on lap 48. Pattie elected to keep Montoya on the track until the team was within its fuel window to finish the race.
Racing resumed on lap 50 with the No. 42 Dodge running fifth. Montoya was credited with leading lap 57 before he was called into the pits for the final time on lap 58. The No. 42 crew changed four tires and packed the Dodge full of fuel. As the green-flag racing continued and final stops were made by the other teams, Montoya was running in ninth.
Montoya drove around the four cars and was sitting fifth when the No. 12 car spun on lap 77. Racing resumed just four laps later, but a huge wreck on the front stretch halted racing for almost 45 minutes to clean up the track. Over the closing laps Montoya was able to get to the bumper of the No. 21 car in front of him but was not able to complete the pass. He drove the No. 42 Dodge Charger to the checkered flag in fourth place, his best finish at WGI.
Quote from Montoya
"It was a great day for our Big Red Slim Pack Dodge Charger. The crew did a great job and we had a fantastic car. We got a little messed up on the second pit stop. I’m not sure what happened. The pit stop itself was good, but the pit lane speed we had screwed us up a bit and we lost some spots. When you have to go back out and pass five or six guys that you've already passed, you just kill your brakes and it makes it hard to run good laps. Other than that, we had a really clean race."
"It was pretty easy to be patient today also. People were running really clean. I really wanted to win, but my main focus was to get a good result. We’ve had so many problems the last few races that we needed to get a good race and try to gain in the driver point standings."
Quote from Pattie
"We had a great racecar, our day was just smooth. To start 25th here and get a top-five finish is a credit to Juan (Pablo Montoya) and the entire Big Red team. We had a fast enough car to win the race, it’s just a little frustrating that we came up a bit short. I love road racing and we have worked really hard to get this team better at it. The guys did a great job building this car and put us in position to win a race."
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
With 14 wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 103 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 two cars n the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one entry 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 64 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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