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Montoya and the Texaco/Havoline Team
Earn Top-20 Finish in the Desert
AVONDALE, AZ (November 11, 2007)—Juan Pablo Montoya and the Texaco/Havoline Team battled a tight-handling No. 42 Dodge for the 312-lap event at Phoenix International Raceway. After starting from the 14th position, Montoya dropped as far back as 34th before taking the checkered flag in the 17th position and earning rookie of the race honors for the 16th time this season. With one race remaining on the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule, Montoya is poised to become the fourth driver for Texaco/Havoline to earn the Rookie of the Year title (Davey Allison, Kenny Irwin and Jamie McMurray).
Montoya took the green flag for the Checker Auto Parts 500 in the 14th spot and worked his way into the top 10 before the first caution flag waved on lap 25. He told Crew Chief Donnie Wingo the car was tight, a condition that would plague the team throughout the race. After a four tire stop, Montoya returned to the track in 13th. Montoya immediately told Wingo the car was much tighter and began to fall back in the field. By lap 94, the Texaco/Havoline Dodge Avenger was running in the 20th spot. Montoya also reported the brakes were vibrating.
The team pitted on lap 98, and discovered plastic wedged into the brake duct screen that did not allow proper air to the brakes. The extra time it took to clean off the screen dropped Montoya back to 27th, the last car on the lead lap, for the restart on lap 101. Montoya maneuvered his way back into the top 20. Wingo called Montoya down pit road on lap 120 to get on a different pit sequence than the leaders. When the caution waved on lap 138, Montoya stayed on the track while the leaders pitted. NASCAR dropped the green flag on lap 143 with the driver of the No. 42 Dodge sitting sixth.
Montoya struggled with the tight condition over the next long green-flag run. Green-flag pit stops began on lap 195 with Montoya was back in the 20th position. He brought the Texaco/Havoline Dodge down pit road to the attention of his crew on lap 200 for tires and fuel. He returned to the track in the 34th position. Green flag stops were completed by lap 225 and Montoya was back up to 18th.
Over the closing 100 laps, Wingo and the crew continued to adjust on the car but could not get the car to handle well. Montoya took the checkered flag in the 17th position for his 15th top-20 finish in his rookie season. Montoya sits 21st in the NEXTEL Cup standings heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.
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