Michigan International Speedway Advance Notes

Race:  Carfax 400 on Sunday, Aug. 15

Track: Michigan International Speedway (2.0-mile oval)

Location:                      Brooklyn, Mich.

Earnhardt Ganassi Media Contacts at Michigan International Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)

Shayna Keller              No. 42 Target Chevrolet

Watkins Glen Winner:  Juan Pablo Montoya brought his No. 42 Target Chip Ganassi Chevrolet into victory lane at Watkins Glen International after leading 74 of the 90 laps in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. The win marks the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) win for Montoya’s sponsor Target and Montoya’s second career win in the NSCS.  The win also marked the first NSCS victory for Crew Chief Brian Pattie.  Pattie had previously won in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (CWTS), ironically both at Watkins Glen.

Irish Hills History:  Montoya has made seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway.  His average start is 17th and average finish is 24th.  Montoya’s best race at the two-mile track came in the June event last season when he qualified seventh and came home with a sixth- place finish. Montoya has three top-10 starts and completed all laps (600) in the last three visits to the Irish Hills of Michigan.

Michigan Winner: Juan Pablo Montoya is no stranger to success at Michigan International Speedway.  In 1999 he competed at the 2-mile oval in the CART Series for Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) where he started third and led for 28 laps before scoring a podium finish of second place.  In the July 2000 CART race Montoya drove to Victory Lane after starting from the seventh position.   He led 39 laps before taking the checkered flag.

2010 In The Numbers:  In the 2010 NSCS season, Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Target team have amassed one victory, two pole awards, five top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes.  Montoya currently sits in the top-10 among drivers ranked in the following categories: average running position of 13th (7th), fastest driver early in a run (5th), fastest driver late in a run (6th), 298 fastest laps run (6th), fastest driver on restarts (6th), green flag speed (4th), 4036 of 6251 laps in the top-15 (7th), 385 laps led (6th), 673.95 miles led (6th), 1202 quality passes (10th) and fastest speed in traffic (10th).  Montoya has a driver rating of 93.7 placing him in seventh, just one position behind current NSCS points leader Kevin Harvick and the highest rated driver out of the top-12.

Target House: On his way to Michigan Juan Pablo Montoya and his Target teammates, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti of the IndyCar Series stopped by the Target House to visit with the children and their families.  Since 1999 more than 1300 children and families have called Target House home.  Target House provides nearly 100 free, fully equipped apartments for families and patients receiving long-term treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, but it’s so much more than a place to stay. Target House is a home away from home for families facing the challenge of their lives.  It’s also a place where Target team members, corporate partners and celebrities join to help build awareness of the good things happening at Target House and St. Jude. Team members regularly volunteer at Target House, and luminaries such as Shaun White, Tiger Woods, Scott Hamilton and the Jonas Brothers have made appearances at Target House and St. Jude over the years.

Sprint All-Star Race Contender: After Juan Pablo Montoya’s victory last weekend at Watkins Glen, he is now locked into the 2011 Sprint All-Star Race in May at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  This will mark the second time Montoya has been locked into the annual event, the first after his 2007 victory at Sonoma.  Teammate Jamie McMurray is also locked in after two victories this season.

Michigan Native:  Front-tire carrier Eric Bilyeu is a native of Waterford, Mich., about 80 miles from the track.  He got his start in NASCAR five years ago after reading a story in NASCAR Scene about the Ganassi Racing pit crews.  Bilyeu sent in a resume and became one of the first members of the team’s pit crew developmental program.

CHASSIS INFO

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #1015.  Crew Chief Brian Pattie will bring chassis #1015 to Michigan this weekend.  This chassis is the same Montoya used at the first 2010 NSCS event at Michigan where he finished 13th.

TEAM ROSTER

Tony Glover – Team Manager

Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition

No. 42 (NSCS)

Crew Chief:  Brian Pattie Zephyrhills, FL

Rear Tire Changer:  Chris McMullen Troutman, NC

Chief Mechanic:  Heath Silver Asheville, NC

Rear Tire Carrier:  Chip Goode Statesville, NC

Front Tire Changer:  Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, MN

Gas Man:  Mike Bodick Norwalk, CT

Front Tire Carrier:  Eric Bilyeu Waterford, MI

Catch Can:  Heath Silver Asheville, NC

Jack Man:  TJ Ford Charlotte, NC

Spotter:  Tab Boyd Pensacola, FL

For more information log onto:

www.earnhardtganassi.com