Late Race Incident Results in a 30th-Place Finish for the Target Team

Results (with starting pos.) from Talladega Superspeedway
1.   (2)   Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet
21. (21) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
30. (13) Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

Talladega, Al. (April 17, 2011) – Teams headed to Talladega Superspeedway for the second restrictor-plate race of the season. Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team worked with teammate Jamie McMurray throughout the 188-lap event. The pairing made a charge to the front in the closing laps when disaster struck. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet was involved in an on-track incident with 18 laps remaining and had to settle for a 30th-place finish. The finish moved Montoya to ninth in the points, 49 out of first.

Juan Pablo Montoya made four laps around the 2.66-mile Superspeedway before heading into Sunday’s unpredictable race. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet qualified 13th and would drop to the rear of the field when the green flag waved to pair up with teammate Jamie McMurray. The two spent the majority of the race back in the field to avoid any on-track incidents and to practice swapping out for the end of the race. With 50 remaining, they made a charge to the front and would become front runners. The strong run would unfortunately be cut short as Montoya became a victim to an accident sending the Target Chevrolet back to the garage for repairs. With a damaged race car, Montoya was able to return to the race and finish out the day in the 30th position.

“That’s Talladega for you,” Montoya remarked. “You just never know what is going to happen until the very end. It’s disappointing. The Target Chevy was good and we had a real chance of bringing home a win. Hate that it had to end this way.”

NOTES
- Montoya has one pole, two top-five and four top-10 finishes out of eight races this season
- Montoya currently sits ninth in the point standings; 49 out of first
- Montoya currently has an average starting position of 18.6 and an average finishing position of 13.6

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off this weekend and will return to racing on Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 pm (ET). The Crown Royal 400 will air on FOX and radio stations affiliated with MRN.