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Montoya Finishes 20th in First Pocono Race
LONG POND, PA (June 10, 2007)—After a lengthy rain delay held up the start of the Pocono 500, Juan Pablo Montoya and the No.42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge were able to move up four spots to 34th before the green flag even flew due to a number of cars going to the rear of the field for pre-race modifications. From there Montoya managed to keep his nose clean for the 106 laps that were run before rain washed out the remainder of the 200-lap event for a 20th-place finish in his first visit to Pocono Raceway.
With weather coming into Pocono for the second time Sunday, the real race became a scramble to the halfway point (lap 101) to make the event official. Montoya and crew managed to overcome a left front fender skirting blemish from curb contact on lap 54 to finish 20th. The result earned Montoya the highest rookie finisher of the event.
The No. 42 team moved up one position to 21st in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. The team is just 35 markers out of the top 20 and 254 points away from the 12th position—the final transfer spot for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.
Up next for Montoya and the Texaco/Havoline team is the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The race will be broadcast Sunday, June 17, on TNT and MRN radio (12:30 p.m. ET).
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