Montgomery Avoids Trouble; Finishes Fourth at Salem

Montgomery Avoids Trouble; Finishes Fourth at Salem

 

SALEM, IN (September 16, 2002) - It's hard to escape the .5-mile Salem Speedway unscathed. In a race filled with the usual short-track, bumps, bangs and collisions, ARCA RE/MAX rookie Chase Montgomery finished in the Top-5.

 

"I just stayed out of trouble," Montgomery said. "There were a couple of close calls, but I somehow managed to avoid them."

 

The #27 Montgomery Motorsports team made numerous chassis adjustments throughout the race to get the car comfortable for Montgomery. 

 

"We really got the car dialed in at the end of the race. I think that, along with our tire strategy, helped us gain at the end."

 

While the majority of the field added new tires with about 60 laps to go, the #27 team stopped for new tires around 40 laps later. 

 

"This track really eats up the tires, so the crew put together a great pit strategy to get the most out of them."

 

With the fresh tires, Montgomery gained track position and was battling for third until the checkered flag. The fourth-place finish marks the 10th Top-10 and fourth Top-five finish for the #27 team in 2002.

 

"This team has really come together over this past season. We have had some great, solid runs and have been fairly consistent in our finishes. You really can't ask for more than that from a rookie driver and team." 

 

Montgomery can't wait for the next stop on the ARCA RE/MAX schedule; Talladega. After sitting on the pole at Daytona earlier this season, Montgomery is anxious to get back to the large superspeedways in his Pontiac.

 

"We've got a great speedway package and I think we will have a really strong showing at Talladega. I am anxious to see how we can do our first time there." 

 

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Media Contact:   Ginger Cale, Garrett Sports Marketing 

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