MONTOYA COMES HOME NINTH AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
Results (with starting pos.) New Hampshire Motor Speedway
1. (20) Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet
9. (31) Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Degree Men Chevrolet
23. (25) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 AXE Cool Metal Chevrolet
Degree Men Chevrolet Finishes Ninth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
LOUDON, NH. (September 25, 2011) – Juan Pablo Montoya and the Degree Men team visited New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the weekend. After a disappointing qualifying run on Saturday due to rain, the No. 42 Degree Men Chevrolet persevered race time. The team played on fuel strategy and was credited with the O'Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award for gaining 22 positions out on the track and crossing the finish line in ninth.
Montoya and the No. 42 team sported a new paint scheme over the weekend as Degree Men came onboard for the first time. The team focused on race trim in the practice sessions and believed they had a car worthy of the pole position. Unfortunately rain moved into the area before Montoya’s qualifying run and when the No. 42 Degree Men Chevrolet to its qualifying lap, the track was slick and Montoya ended up with the 31st spot.
Sunday afternoon the Sylvania 300 got underway. Montoya maintained track position and would eventually land himself into the top-10 by lap 90. Under hot, humid conditions, the team worked on handling concerns for the 300-lap event and would play on pit strategy to help advance Montoya in the field. The Degree Men Chevrolet would be credited with leading two laps and ran in the top-10 for the second half of the race. When the checkered flag waved, Montoya would gain 22 spots from start to finish and end up in the ninth position.
“I’m happy,” Montoya remarked. “We worked on the Degree Men car all day long and Jim (Pohlman) made some really good calls on pit road today. Things are turning around for us and now we need to keep the momentum going.”
NOTES
- Montoya has two poles, two top-five and eight top-10 finishes this season
- Montoya has the highest number of laps run this season out of any driver with 8008
- Montoya sits 19th in the point standings
- Montoya has no DNF’s in 2011
The AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway is up next. The race will air on ESPN and radio stations affiliated with MRN on Sunday, October 2 at 2 pm ET.