Watkins Glen International Advance Notes

Race: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen on Sunday, Aug. 8

Track: Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile road course)

Location: Watkins Glen, N.Y.

NOTES

Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team

Watkins Glen Background:  Montoya will make his fourth start at Watkins Glen International this weekend.  Last season saw an overall weekend best for Montoya when he started 10th and came home sixth.  His first start Montoya was running sixth when he was hit from behind and sent spinning with less than 20 laps remaining.  The 2008 season saw Montoya take the green flag from the 25th position and race his way into the top-five, taking home a fourth-place finish.

Perfect Combo:  Juan Pablo Montoya and Crew Chief Brian Pattie make a perfect combo at road course races.  Montoya has two road course victories in NASCAR and will visit Watkins Glen International for the third time with Pattie as his crew chief. Brian Pattie had a tremendous amount of success at The Glen when he was a crew chief in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.  Pattie has three pole positions, one outside pole, three victories and one second-place finish to his credit at the road course in Nationwide competition. In their previous four road course races together, Montoya and Pattie have finishes of 10th (Infineon ’10), sixth (Watkins Glen ’09), sixth (Infineon ’09) and fourth (Watkins Glen ’08).

Tricky Triangle Review:  Changing weather and track conditions made for an unusual race day at Pocono Raceway. Montoya qualified the No. 42 Target Chevrolet on the outside pole, would lead the field twice, run as low as 24th and finish out the rain plagued race in the 16th position.

Inside View with the No. 42 Target Team:  For the sixth time in the 2010 season, Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Target team will be featured on DIRECTV’s NASCAR HOTPASS.  Tune in to DIRECTV Channel 796 for this weekend’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen for an inside view between Montoya, crew chief Brian Pattie and the entire No. 42 team.

NY Native:  Competition Director Steve Hmiel hails from Syracuse, north east of Watkins Glen.  Hmiel joined the team in 2007 with over 30 years of NASCAR experience.  He has been winning races and championships with some of the most recognized teams in the business including Petty Enterprises, Roush-Fenway Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Target Share’s a Tree:  As part of the Target Share-a-Tree program, Target partner’s with United Way to coordinate the distribution of decorated holiday display trees from their stores. In 2009, more than 3,400 decorated holiday display trees valued at over $1.7 million were donated to nonprofit agencies and families in need across the country.

CHASSIS INFO

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #1014.  The No. 42 Target team will bring Chassis #1014 to Watkins Glen International this weekend.  This will be the first time the chassis will be used in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition this season.  The Target team tested this chassis at Virginia International Raceway in June.

2010 STATS

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

TEAM ROSTER

Tony Glover – Team Manager

Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition

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

Results from Pocono Raceway

1.     1.    Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford

2.     2.    Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet

3.     3.    Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford

16.  Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

22.  Jamie McMurray, No. 1 AXE Twist Chevrolet

Team Target Comes Out of the Tricky Triangle with a 16th-Place Finish

Long Pond, Pa. (August 1, 2010) – Changing weather and track conditions made for an unusual race day at Pocono Raceway. Montoya qualified the No. 42 Target Chevrolet on the outside pole, would lead the field twice, run as low as 24th and finish out the rain plagued race in the 16th position.

The question on everyone’s mind come Sunday was when was the rain going to hit the area and for how long would it stay. Teams prepared just like any other race day and hoped for the best. A small rain shower moved through the area prior to driver introductions and the start of the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 would be delayed.

With the track dry, 43 cars took the green flag for 200-laps around the “Tricky Triangle”. Montoya would spend the first 140 laps up in the top-10 until the handling of the race car changed due to sunny skies and a changing track temperature. Crew chief Brian Pattie brought the Target Chevrolet down pit road early for an adjustment to alleviate the handling concerns. Back out on the track, the caution flag flew and the leaders came to pit road which gave the lead to Montoya. The No. 42 led a total of five laps before Jeff Gordon maneuvered around Montoya.  Rain fell from the sky again in the closing laps and pit strategy fell into place. Montoya restarted in the 14th –position on the final restart and wasn’t able to break into the top-10 before the checkered flag fell on lap 200. The Target team would be credited with 16th-place.

“The weather and our strategy just didn’t play out like we had hoped it would,” remarked Montoya. “Our handling would change every few laps due to the weather. It didn’t work out for us like we had hoped.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads north to Watkins Glen this weekend for the second road-course race of the season. The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen will air live on ESPN on Sunday, August 8th at 1:00 pm (ET).

Pocono Raceway Advance Notes

Race:  Pennsylvania 500 on Sunday, August 1

Track:  Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile oval)

Location:  Long Pond, Pa.

MEDIA ALERT: Juan Pablo Montoya will be available at the No. 42 Target hauler for a brief media Q&A session on Saturday, July 31 at 8:30 a.m. (ET)

Pocono History:  This weekend Montoya will be making his eighth start at Pocono Raceway and hopes to better his 2009 August finish at the 2.5-mile track with a win.  His best start came just this season at the first visit to the Tricky Triangle when Montoya qualified seventh.  His best finish came last year in the August race where he finished second.  After not having a top-10 at the track before last season Montoya now has three consecutive top-10 finishes after an eighth-place finish in June.

Brickyard Review:  Former Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya looked to make history Sunday afternoon at the Brickyard 400. Montoya was well on his way when he grabbed his second Pole Award of the season and led 86 out of 159 laps before a late race incident sent him to the garage with 15 laps remaining. The Target team finished out the day in the 32nd position.

EGR Leads The Way: Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole position for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 with a lap of 182.278 mph. Montoya’s Pole Award marked the second for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in two weeks time, as teammate Jamie McMurray won the Pole at Chicagoland Speedway two weeks ago. It also marks Montoya’s second Pole Award for the 2010 season and the fifth for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing which leads all other teams in Pole Awards.

2010 in the Numbers:  Juan Pablo Montoya currently sits in the top-10 in 11 different 2010 performance generated categories.  Among the categories are: average running position (8th), fastest drivers early in a run (6th), fastest drivers late in a run (9th), fastest laps run (8th), fastest drivers on restarts (6th), fastest green flag speed (6th), laps in top-15 (7th), laps led (7th), mile leaders (6th), quality passes (10th).  Montoya is also ranked eighth in the driver ratings, the highest driver outside of the Chase contenders.  The No. 42 Target Chevrolet has also been passed the least amount of times under green flag conditions.

Did you know?: Although the first Target store opened in 1962, the company's roots go back to 1881. Target set the standard for a new kind of store that offers both quality and low prices. At Target, they call their customers "guests," and serve them with their brand promise of "Expect More. Pay Less."

CHASSIS INFO

No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS):  Chassis #910.  The Target team will bring Chassis #910 to Pocono Raceway this weekend.  Montoya last drove this chassis at the first Pocono event where he qualified seventh and finished eighth.  Earlier in the season the chassis was used at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Montoya finished in the 37th-position after being involved in an altercation while running in the top-10.

TEAM ROSTER

Tony Glover – Team Manager

Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition

No. 42 (NSCS)

Crew Chief:  Brian Pattie

Rear Tire Changer:  Chris McMullen

Chief Mechanic:  Heath Silver

Rear Tire Carrier:  Chip Goode

Front Tire Changer:  Trevor Lysne

Gas Man:  Mike Bodick

Front Tire Carrier:  Eric Bilyeu

Catch Can:  Heath Silver

Jack Man:  TJ Ford

Spotter:  Tab Boyd

For more information log onto:

www.earnhardtganassi.com

Results from Indianapolis Motor Speedway

1.     1.    Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro / Tracker Boats Chevrolet

2.     2.    Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Chevrolet

3.     3.    Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford

32.  Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

Dominate Run at the Brickyard Cut Short; Montoya Finishes 32nd

Speedway, Ind. (July 26, 2010) – Former Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya looked to make history Sunday afternoon at the Brickyard 400. Montoya was well on his way when he grabbed his second Pole Award of the season and led 86 out of 159 laps before a late race incident sent him to the garage with 15 laps remaining. The Target team finished out the day in the 32nd position.

Montoya and the Target team looked to redeem themselves after last year’s late race speeding penalty denied them of a victory at the Brickyard. The team unloaded the same chassis they tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this year and Montoya was quick right off the truck. The No. 42 posted the quickest times in Friday’s practice sessions and then went on to grab the Pole Award Saturday morning. The Pole Award marked the second for Montoya this season and the fifth for the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing organization. .

Sunday afternoon the green flag waved for the 17th annual Brickyard 400. Montoya led the field to the green and became a permanent fixture up front. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet pitted a total of six times, recovered from a shredded right front tire under green flag conditions and led a total of 86 laps to be credited as the WIX Lap Leader of the race. The fate of the team would change drastically in the closing laps of the race. Montoya made his final pit stop of the day on lap 139 for four tires and restarted in the seventh position. The Target Chevrolet became a handful in traffic and Montoya found himself making hard contact with the wall in turn 4. The car sustained heavy damage and Montoya was forced to the garage 15 laps shy of the finish.

Teammate Jamie McMurray went on to win the Brickyard 400. With McMurray's victory, team owner Chip Ganassi became the first to win the triple crown in American auto racing: winning the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same year.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. The race will air live on ESPN at 1:00 pm (ET) on Sunday, August 1st.