|
Texaco/Havoline Team Finishes 32nd
at Daytona after Lap 131 Incident
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA (July 7, 2007)—It was a double-header for Texaco/Havoline driver Juan Pablo Montoya on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Following a 30th-place finish in the NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday morning, Montoya and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team drafted up as high as eighth before an accident on lap 131. Montoya finished the Pepsi 400 in the 32nd position and now sits 21st in the standings.
Qualifying for the 400-mile race on Friday was canceled with just five cars remaining after rain fell on the superspeedway. Montoya started the race from the 20th position on Saturday night and told Crew Chief Donnie Wingo the car was pretty good. A multi-car accident occurred on lap 14 and Montoya locked up the brakes trying to avoid the spinning cars. He brought the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge down pit road for four tires and fuel. Racing resumed on lap 10 with Montoya in the 16th position.
Montoya drafted into the top 10 on lap 51, but told the crew the car was really loose into the corners and tight off the corners. On lap 55, Montoya got loose running under the No. 29 car and forced its driver to brush the outside wall. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge never handled well following the incident, despite the changes the crew tried to make. Montoya told the team the car was really unstable and fell back to 30th when the caution waved on lap 115.
The team pitted twice, once to change tires and add fuel and once to open up the shocks on the Dodge Charger. By lap 130, Montoya told Wingo the car was much better. Unfortunately, the No. 00 car bounced off the outside retaining wall on lap 131 and forced the car in front of Montoya to check up. With no place to go, Montoya and several other cars collided. He brought the car down pit road so the Texaco/Havoline crew could assess the damage. After cutting off part of the right-front fender and repairing the toe of the car, Montoya returned to the track in the 32nd position and two laps down to the leaders.
He finished the race in the 32nd position and dropped to 21st in the driver standings.
On Saturday morning, Montoya was running in the top 10 when the car in front of him got loose and he spun trying to avoid the car. He finished the 250-mile Busch race 30th.
|
