MONTOYA TAKES TOP FIVE FINISH FOR TEAM CHEVY
Johnson Maintains NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Point Lead
WATKINS GLEN, NY – Aug. 11, 2013 – The Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International featured plenty of cautions and a lengthy red flag delay, but that didn’t deter Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS from posting a strong top-five finish – his third top-five finish of 2013.
“It was fun it’s just not enough laps,” Montoya said after exiting his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS. “It’s hard to pass. These cars, you know, guys that run up front are pretty good here. Our Target Chevy was really good all day. To be honest with you we didn’t think we could make it in two (pit stops) all weekend. We got so many cautions and I felt, you know they told me to save and I started saving a ton of gas and even saving gas we were pretty good.”
On the challenging 11-Turn, 2.45-mile road course, where passing is difficult, five-time series champion, Jimmie Johnson, ran a solid race in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to finish eighth overall from his 18-place starting position. Johnson maintained the series point lead on the strength of 15 top-10 finishes this season and now has a 75-point advantage over second place.
Kurt Busch brought his No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevy SS home in ninth, his 10th top-10 finish in 22 races completed this season.
Montoya and Busch were joined by four other Team Chevy drivers all recording top-15 finishes. Jamie McMurray driving the No. 1 McDonald’s/Monopoly Chevrolet SS finished 11th followed by Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS in 13th.
Ryan Newman brought his No. 39 Haas Automation 30th Anniversary Chevrolet SS home in the 14th position followed by his Stewart-Haas Racing interim teammate, filling in for the injured Tony Stewart, Max Papis piloting the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS.
Kyle Busch (Toyota) was the race winner, Brad Keselowski (Ford) was second, Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) finished third, and Carl Edwards (Ford) was fourth to round out the top-five.
The next race on the tour will be Sunday, August 18, 2013 at Michigan International Speedway.
POST RACE QUOTE:
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED FIFTH
TAKE US THROUGH THOSE LAST COUPLE OF LAPS. THAT LOOKED LIKE FUN:
“It was fun it’s just not enough laps. It’s hard to pass. These cars, you know, guys that run up front are pretty good here. Our Target Chevy was really good all day. To be honest with you we didn’t think we could make it in two (pit stops) all weekend. We got so many cautions and I felt, you know they told me to save and I started saving a ton of gas and even saving gas we were pretty good.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW RACING/DENVER MATTRESS CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED NINTH
ON HIS RUN:
“It wasn’t one of my best efforts. I felt like I was just off rhythm but the team did their job and we had great execution on pit strategy and we were able to gain some track position then. Everybody it seems like is fast. I think there is a group of us though in the top 10 that broke away most of the day. We were right on the tail end of that group. So I got up as high as fifth and I just couldn’t clear (Clint) Bowyer. I think if I could have cleared Bowyer I would have hung on to a top five, but we just got out muscled at the end. I wasn’t quite on my ‘A’ game today.”
MAX PAPIS, NO. 14 RUSH TRUCK CENTERS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 15TH
ON HIS RUN:
“I felt that we were definitely in bound to have a top 10 finish. Really glad that Greg Biffle came over and apologized when he turned me around he said it was totally his mistake. I think that really cost us a solid top 10. Beside this I drove the wheels off the car every lap. Super proud of keeping the seat of Smoke (Tony Stewart) as warm as I could. I felt I did a pretty good job and I’m proud of myself.”
WHAT HAPPENED LATE IN THE RACE WITH THE NO. 9?
“I don’t know. The guy was sideways going up the hill. I mean I’m going up the hill. I touched him I turned him, not on purpose obviously. I think that something broke in the back of his car. I guess. Pretty weird deal. It was not a good thing.”
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED ‘A’ DAY, ‘B’ DAY, HOW DO YOU LOOK AT IT?
“A+”
DANICA PATRICK, NO. 10 GODADDY CHEVROLET SS – FINISHED 20TH
IS IT MORE ABOUT SURVIVAL TODAY?
“Yeah and I think at the end of the day there was a lot going on especially at the end. Really just trying to finish and really just trying to not get frustrated no matter what is going on out there and just taking what the car will give you. So I just tried to stay calm and stay focused on not making any mistakes. It was really easy to make mistakes out there and we worked on the car and I feel like we have a direction for next time. I’m not sure. We didn’t nail it today that is for sure, but I think we made gains for sure from the beginning of practice until the end of the race. It’s just a matter of using that for next time and getting better.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 82 AND FINISHED 30TH
ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ACCIDENT:
“I’m fine. The No. 18 was going after the No. 9 and tried to wreck the No. 9 and ended up hitting the No. 5, not the No. 18, but the No. 20. The No. 20 was going after the No. 9 and missed him or got him a little bit. I don’t know if the No. 9 ended up wrecking or not, but ended up knocking the No. 5 out of the race and knocked ourselves out of the race and a couple of other guys.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON LAP 82 AND FINISHED 34TH
ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ACCIDENT:
“I’m fine. I thought we had a pretty good Farmers Insurance Chevy. I was trying to just get through there. There were some openings there. I’m not sure what happened. I know I got hit in the left-rear. I know the No. 9 was there and the No. 20. I don’t know how it all happened because I haven’t seen it. I felt like I was kind of over on my side of the road, but I would have to see it to know for sure.”
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS – INVOLVED IN A CRASH ON LAP 13 – FINISHED THE RACE IN THE 38TH POSITION
IN REGARDS TO THE ACCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED ON LAP 13:
“It’s unfortunate. I had a big run on the No. 11 and I got up on him and the nose just completely took off and put me in the wall. We’ll get it fixed and go out there and ride around. That’s the penalty for making a mistake like that, you have to drive something like I’m getting ready to drive out there all days and we pay the price in points. It’s on to next week.”
WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?
“Fight hard. Just keep working to go to the next race and qualify better, execute better and not make mistakes. That was my mistake that was on me today. We can’t have stuff like that happen.”
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