TARGET TEAM FINISHES 33RD

Results (starting pos.) from the Finger Lakes 355 at Watkins Glen International
1.      (5)    Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Ford
33.    (1)    Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet
39.    (10)  Jamie McMurray, No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet

Target Team Finish 33rd at the Glen after a Mechanical Failure

WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 12, 2012) – Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team returned to the site of their last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win over the weekend. The No. 42 Chevrolet looked right on course to bring the team another win as Montoya shattered the previous qualifying lap speed with a 127.020 mph run. It also marked the second consecutive weekend that the No. 42 Target Chevrolet sat on the pole.

The green flag dropped Sunday afternoon for the Finger Lakes 355 and Montoya dropped one position to second place. Over the course of the next 15 laps, the top-three would pull away from the field. When the first caution flag flew on lap 27, the Target Chevrolet came down pit road for fuel, tires and minor adjustments. Montoya would win the race off of pit road under the caution period, however just three laps later Montoya reported that something had broken on the front of the car, forcing the team to the garage for lengthy repairs. The No. 42 would return to the race 25 laps later and finish out the day in the 33rd-position.

“Everybody on this Target Chevy has been doing and amazing job,” Montoya stated. “I thought we had a car that could win today.  The car started getting really tight and all of a sudden I hit a curb and the car went completely left on me.  We made the repairs and got back out to score a little bit of points.”

Notes:
- Montoya started from the pole for the second consecutive weekend. It was his ninth career pole and his first on a road course. The pole lap also shattered the previous track record.
- Montoya’s last win came at Watkins Glen in 2010.
- Montoya suffered a broken suspension part in the Target Chevrolet on lap 30, sending him to the garage for several laps to make repairs.
- Montoya fell one position to 22nd in the point standings; 181 out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to Michigan next weekend for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, August 19. The race will air live on ESPN and stations affiliated with MRN at 1 p.m. ET.