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Montoya Completes 500 Laps at Bristol, Finishes 17th
BRISTOL, TN (August 25, 2007)—Juan Pablo Montoya and the Texaco/Havoline team improved 15 positions from their first trip to Bristol together in March. The team started on the outside pole, completed all 500 laps and finished the night race in 17th. Montoya's display of patience and discipline on the .533-mile bullring earned him rookie-of-the-race honors for the 11th time this season. The team also moved up one position in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings to 18th.
Montoya tied his career-best start of the season (with his front row start at Indianapolis) when he wheeled the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge to the outside pole for the Sharpie 500. He was able to maintain second place through the first 20 laps of the race, but didn't want to be too aggressive early in the event. He dropped back to seventh by lap 100 and was sitting eighth when the caution was displayed on lap 125.
Montoya told crew chief Donnie Wingo the car was loose on the exit of the corners. He brought the No. 42 Dodge down pit road for tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment. The green flag waved on lap 134 with the black and red Dodge in seventh. The car started out really tight in the center of the corner, but loosened up later in the run. The No. 29 and No. 07 car went three wide with Montoya on lap 187, so he backed off to avoid a wreck and slipped back to 10th. The yellow flag waved again on lap 210 and the team once again pitted for fuel and tires, but made a wedge adjustment during this stop.
There were just 25 cars remaining on the lead lap when racing resumed on lap 219. The car got extremely tight on Montoya and he slipped back to 18th by lap 300 and was passed by the leader on lap 345. Green flag stops began on lap 356, and Wingo called Montoya down pit road on lap 365 for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. The caution fell just four laps later with Montoya in 22nd.
The Texaco/Havoline team and Montoya didn't give up despite sitting a lap down in 22nd. They battled back up to 20th and earned the free pass back onto the lead lap when the caution waved on lap 438. The good fortune didn't last long when a melee broke out on lap 452. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge suffered damage on the right side when the No. 48 car hit a spinning car and came down the track into the No. 42, so Montoya brought it down pit road for tires and repairs. He battled on the lead lap over the closing laps to finish the race 17th.
Montoya unofficially leads the Raybestos standings over David Ragan by more than 23 points with just 12 races remaining in the 2007 season. The Texaco/Havoline team heads to California Speedway next weekend, but not before Montoya plays in a charity golf tournament for Jimmie Johnson on Wednesday.
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