Results (start) Martinsville Speedway
1.             (5)           Ryan Newman, No. 39 Chevrolet
20.          (20)         Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Belkin Chevrolet
21.          (32)         Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

Martinsville, Va. (April 1, 2012) – The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 experienced just seven caution flags for 56 laps which meant for long green flag runs at the famous paper clip track. By the end of the day only 12 drivers found themselves on the lead lap. Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team battled handling early on and fought for positions throughout the 500-lap event. When the checkered flag waved, the No. 42 was credited with the 21st position.

 

The Target Chevrolet started in the 32nd position and immediately began to make a move to the front. A few laps into the race, Montoya radioed in that the handling was off. Unfortunately relief for the ill handling race car wasn’t immediate as two long green flag runs didn’t allow the No. 42 to come down pit road for adjustments. The team fell of sequence and spent the majority of the race trying to make up ground and regain track position. Contact with the wall on lap 265 also didn’t help matters as Montoya visited pit road three times for repairs. The Target team held strong and continued to work for the remainder of the race and was able to bring home a hard fought 21st place finish.

 

“What a day,” Montoya remarked. “We just couldn’t seem to catch a break no matter what we did. We tried to play on strategy and it just never worked out in our favor. The car was a handful but the Target team did everything they could to get us back up into contention.”

 

• Montoya moved up one position to 17th in the point standings. He is 43 points out of contention for the Chase.
• Montoya has earned two top-five finishes, three top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway and has zero DNF’s (did not finish).
• Montoya’s highest starting position is fifth in the 2010 fall race and his highest finish is third in the 2009 fall race.
• Of the 127 NSCS races held at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has amassed 49 total victories, which is 23 more wins than the next closest manufacturer.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is off next weekend and will return to action Saturday evening, April 14 at Texas Motor Speedway. The Samsung Mobile 500 will air on FOX and radio stations affiliated with PRN at 7:30 pm ET.