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Montoya Earns Top-20 Finish in First
Daytona 500 Start
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 18, 2007) --- Juan Pablo Montoya kicked off Texaco/Havoline’s 20th Anniversary in NASCAR with a 19th-place finish at the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Montoya started from the 36th position, and after battling a tight race car, the loss of every gear except fourth and near misses in several multi-car incidents, brought the No. 42 Dodge Charger home in the top 20.
The first half of the Daytona 500 was quite uneventful for the Texaco/Havoline team. Montoya struggled with a very tight race car, while the crew attempted to adjust on the car. On a few occasions the car was so tight in the back of the pack, he could barely hang onto the draft.
Montoya was running 29th at the midway point of the 200-lap race. He slipped back in the draft again to 33rd on lap 116. The second round of green flag stops began on lap 124. Montoya pitted on lap 126 for another air pressure adjustment, fresh tires and fuel. The Texaco/Havoline team performed a great stop, and Montoya was now in the 27th position. He continued to run in the top 30, but complained the car was "aero tight."
The Daytona 500 turned adventurous for the team around lap 156. After a multi-car wreck brought out the caution, the team pitted for a chassis adjustment, an air pressure adjustment, four tires, fuel and to put tape on the grill. Not only was the pit stop long to complete all the changes, but Montoya felt a vibration. He came back down pit road for four new tires.
Montoya drafted into the top 20 for the first time on lap 164. It was three-wide racing for several laps before the caution flag waved again. The team called for a routine stop, but as Montoya was trying to get around the No. 5 car, he overshot the pit. He put the car in reverse, and after the pit stop was completed, found the Texaco/Havoline Dodge was stuck between gears. As the team pushed him behind the wall, the car popped into fourth gear and Montoya returned to the track one lap down to the leaders for the restart on lap 179. The team only had to wait six laps before another wreck brought out the yellow and earned NASCAR's free pass back onto the lead lap.
Montoya let the team know he lost third gear, and all he was able to use was fourth gear. Racing resumed with just 10 laps remaining in the race, but it was the most eventful 10 laps. Montoya took the green flag in 29th and was running 27th when a huge wreck blocked the track. He remarkably was able to maneuver through and came out unscathed. Montoya joked with his spotter Tab Boyd, "I don't how I did that, all I saw was white." NASCAR red flagged the race to clean up the debris, and the team was concerned on how Montoya would get the car rolling again without any low gear. As NASCAR displayed the yellow again, fellow Dodge driver Kurt Busch push started Montoya.
Racing resumed for a green-white-checker finish on lap 200 with the Texaco/Havoline Dodge in 20th. As the cars were coming off Turn four, a melee ensued. Montoya stayed on the top side of the track to cross the stripe in 19th, but was wrecked as he went into Turn one.
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