Race Advance - Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway

Race: Pepsi 500 on Sunday, August 31 (Live on ESPN, 7 p.m. ET)
Track: Auto Club Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Location: Fontana, Calif.

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge

• T/H on the Track and on the Band?: The No. 42 Dodge will carry the Texaco/Havoline logos for this weekend’s Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway. Montoya’s car will sport the infamous black and red scheme for six more races through the end of the season. In addition, the Mexican Regional group ‘Banda El Recodo’ will be decked out in Texaco/Havoline crew shirts when it performs on the Fan Zone stage on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. PT prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race. Banda El Recodo has traveled and played on five continents and has shared its brand of music with thousands of fans throughout the world.


• About last week: Montoya drove his No. 42 Dodge to a 19th-place finish under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday. Montoya started from deep within the field to bring home the top-20 finish.


• California History: Montoya and the No. 42 crew are hoping to improve upon their three finishes at the 2-mile track. Montoya earned his best finish in February when he drove his Dodge to a 20th-place finish. He also finished 28th in February and 33rd in September of 2007. Montoya, however, is no stranger to success at Auto Club Speedway. He competed in two CART events at the track, including his championship clinching fourth-place run in 1999 with Chip Ganassi Racing. Montoya also raced in the 2000 series finale where he started fifth, but settled for a 10th-place finish after a mechanical failure ended his day early.


• Helping Out: Montoya is participating in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation charity golf tournament today Wednesday, August 27, at the Riverwalk Golf Club in San Diego. This is the second year Montoya will golf in Johnson’s event to benefit his foundation that is dedicated to assisting children, families and communities in need.


• Thank you race fans: Texaco/Havoline will be thanking NASCAR fans in the Richmond area next week for their loyalty to the sport. A Texaco/Havoline street team will be at 10 locations in three days from September 3-5 handing out gift cards – 1,042 cards to be exact. Fans call the number on the card to activate it and are told the gift amount of that card. One lucky fan will receive a $500 card good at participating stations. An additional 42 cards will be worth $42 and the remaining 999 will have a $5 value.


• Star in the Sky: Montoya’s spotter Tab Boyd is once again providing fans with his view on the race from atop the spotter’s stand with an in-depth post-race blog. Boyd recaps the race weekend from his point of view on www.texacohavoline42.com.


• 2008 Standings: Montoya maintained his position in the NSCS standings with his 19th-place finish last weekend. He currently sits 21st in the driver standings with 12 races remaining on the 2008 schedule.


• He’s "SIRIUS" Again: For the second year in a row, listen to SIRIUS Satellite Radio every Tuesday 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.


• No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge: Chassis #815. This chassis has made three starts in NSCS competition. Montoya ran this chassis at Pocono and Chicagoland, and teammate Sorenson ran it at Texas. Montoya finished 18th with the chassis at Chicagoland, and 39th at Pocono in June after being involved in a mid-race incident while running in the top 15.

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