Nov 10 2008 Montoya Earns Texaco/Havoline a Top 20 in its Final NASCAR Race
Results from Phoenix International Raceway
1. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet
2. Kurt Busch, No. 2 Dodge
3. Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Ford
17. Juan Pablo Montoya, No.42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
31. Reed Sorenson, No.41 Target Dodge
Avondale, Ariz. (Nov. 9, 2008) – After 22 years in NASCAR, the Texaco/Havoline logo saw its last laps on the track Sunday when Juan Pablo Montoya drove his No. 42 Dodge to a 17th-place finish. Montoya ran in the top 20 for most of the day in the iconic black and red Dodge before taking the checkered flag in 17th. Montoya joined racing legends Davey Allison, Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett as one of the drivers to put the famed “Star Car” in victory lane during its tenure in the sport.
Montoya qualified the Texaco/Havoline Dodge in 26th place after an early qualifying draw put him on the track during the heat of the day. Despite the early challenge, Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the crew worked on the car during the final practice sessions and determined their set up for race day.
When the green flag waved for the 312-lap race, Montoya immediately began experiencing a loose in, tight through the center, loose off condition. An unexpected rain shower in the desert on lap 42 saturated the track and brought out the first of two red flags on the day. Racing resumed and Montoya broke into the top 20 and would remain there through the first round of green-flag pit stops on lap 98. Pattie instructed his crew to adjust on the Texaco/Havoline Doge during the team’s stop on lap 100. Pit stops were completed on lap 110 with Montoya in 21st.
The leader, and eventual race winner, Jimmie Johnson lapped Montoya during a long green-flag run on lap 124. Montoya was able to keep the leader in sight and received NASCAR’s free pass back onto the lead lap when the caution flag waved on lap 141. The team made another chassis adjustment on the No. 42 Dodge Charger before sending it back onto the track in the 20th position.
Montoya continued his solid run and would race as high as 12th on lap 268. During some intense three-wide racing, Montoya and the No. 5 car got together setting off a chain reaction. NASCAR red flagged the race to clear the track. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge wasn’t damaged much, so the crew just changed tires and made a slight air pressure adjustment.
Over the closing laps of the race, lapped traffic became an issue for the 20 cars remaining on the lead lap. Montoya was 18th at lap 300 and pitted under the caution on lap 308 in preparation for a green-white-checker finish. Montoya was caught up in a wreck involving the No. 17 and No. 10 cars while crossing the stripe but was still able to take the checkered flag in 17th. He remains 25th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver standings heading into the season finale as Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.
Montoya: “It’s been great running for Texaco/Havoline over the last two years and I was hoping to give them a great finish. I think that we had a better car than where we finished today and that’s unfortunate. We just weren’t very good on short runs and that’s how the race ended…on a bunch of short runs.”