Earnhardt Ganassi Racing - Watkins Glen International
Advance Notes
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Race: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen 500 on
Sunday, Aug. 9
Track: Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile road
course)
Location: Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Earnhardt Ganassi Media Contacts at Watkins Glen International
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Jarrod England No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet
John Olguin No. 42 Target Chevrolet
NOTES
Martin Truex Jr. and No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Team
Watkins Glen History: This weekend marks Martin Truex Jr.'s fourth
Sprint Cup Series start at Watkins Glen International. In his three
prior starts at the track Truex has an average start of 21.6 and an
average finish of 13th. The last two times Truex has taken on the 2.45
mile road course he has finished fifth and sixth respectively. Last
year's fifth place finish was his best ever at the track and his best
finish on a road course in his Sprint Cup Series career.
Last Weekend: Truex and his No. 1 Chevrolet team battled an ill
handling racecar and some bad luck last weekend at Pocono Raceway. The
team worked throughout the weekend practices to improve the handling of
the car. Rain washed out qualifying so Truex started in 24th based on
owner points. After the green flag dropped handling issues quickly
emerged and the team worked for much of the race to correct their
problems. Truex pitted with Montoya on lap 164 just as the caution came
out, but due to a miscommunication went back out onto the track, missing
a chance to gain valuable track position. Truex battled back from the
30th position to finish 19th.
NY Native: Tire specialist Russell Simpson is a native of Medford, N.Y.,
about five hours south of Watkins Glen. Simpson, who has been racing
most of his life, joined the team in 2001. During the week he works in
the shop as a mechanic.
In the Points: Truex and the No. 1 Chevrolet team remain in 24th-place
in both owner and driver standings after finishing in 19th at Pocono.
GM Fast Fact: Malibu finished as the fourth highest vehicle in initial
quality in the entire industry. The only cars to beat Malibu were
Porsche 911, Lexus LS and Mercedes Benz S-Class - cars that, in many
cases, cost triple the price of Malibu.
Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team
MEDIA ALERT: Juan Pablo Montoya will be available in the media center
for a brief media Q&A session on Friday, August 7 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Watkins Glen History: Montoya will make his third start at Watkins Glen
International this weekend. In his first start Montoya was running
sixth when he was hit from behind and sent spinning with less than 20
laps remaining. Last year Montoya took the green flag from the 25th
position and raced his way into the top 5, taking home a fourth-place
finish. In two starts at the 2.45-mile road course Montoya has an
average start and finish of 21.5.
Perfect Combo: Juan Pablo Montoya and Crew Chief Brian Pattie make a
perfect combo at road course races. Montoya has two road course
victories in NASCAR and will visit Watkins Glen International for the
second time with Pattie as his crew chief. Brian Pattie had a tremendous
amount of success at The Glen when he was a crew chief in the NASCAR
Nationwide Series. Pattie has three pole positions, one outside pole,
three victories and one second-place finish to his credit at the road
course in Nationwide competition. In their two road course races
together, Montoya and Pattie have finishes of fourth (Watkins Glen '08)
and sixth (Infineon '09).
About Last Weekend: Juan Pablo Montoya and the 42 team took home their
best finish of the season, second place at Pocono Raceway, last weekend.
Montoya took the green flag in 10th after rain washed out qualifying.
The car was steady all race but Crew Chief Brian Pattie made a great
call when he brought Montoya in for his last pit stop on lap 164. The
Target team got him out of the pits quickly as the caution came out,
bringing most of the field to pit road for their final stop. Montoya
was able to stay out and moved to fourth place for the restart. He
would fight his way up to second and challenge the No. 11 for the lead
before finishing the race in second.
In the Points: A strong second place finish at Pocono Raceway moved
Montoya up two spots in the NSCS standings to a career-high 8th place.
Montoya sits only 102 points out of fifth in the standings while
increasing his points cushion over 13th to 169 points with only five
races remaining before the cutoff to the chase at Richmond.
2009 In Numbers: Montoya and team have one pole award, one top-five, 10
top-10 and 14 top-15 finishes in the 2009 season. Montoya has led 133
laps and averages a 13th-place start and a finishing position of 13.7
this season.
NY Native: Competition Director Steve Hmiel hails from Syracuse, north
east of Watkins Glen. Hmiel joined the team in 2007 with over 30 years
of NASCAR experience. He has been winning races and championships with
some of the most recognized teams in the business including Petty
Enterprises, Roush-Fenway Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Chevy Fast Fact: Racing is a part of Chevy's DNA. Chevy builds cars,
and races cars to win (32 NSCS Manufacturer Championships; 25 NSCS
Driver Championships). Moreover, racing provides an effective marketing
tool that helps Chevy sell cars and trucks.
CHASSIS INFO
No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #065. The No. 1 Bass Pro
Shops Chevrolet team will bring chassis #065 to Watkins Glen. This marks
the first race for the chassis.
No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #811. The Target team will
bring Chassis #811 to Watkins Glen International this weekend. This
will be the first time chassis #811 will be used in NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series competition this season. The Target team tested this chassis at
Road Atlanta in July.
2009 STATS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave
Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev)
Martin Truex Jr. 21 0 1 0 3 18.0
22.1 24/24
Juan Pablo Montoya 21 0 1 1 10 13.0
13.7 8/10
CAREER STATS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave
Finish
Martin Truex Jr. 138 1 2 12 34 18.2
19.7
Juan Pablo Montoya 94 1 1 5 19 20.4
21.3
TEAM ROSTERS
Tony Glover - Team Manager
Steve Hmiel - Director of Competition
No. 1 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown
Crew Chief: Kevin Manion Boylston, MA Rear Tire Changer:
Coleman Dollarhide Hickory, NC
Chief Mechanic: Gary Putnam Vernon, CT Rear Tire Carrier: Mark
Kennerly Salisbury, NC
Front Tire Changer: Dennis Terry Mozbur, NC Gas Man:
Preston Cordell Middleburg, FL
Front Tire Carrier: Shannon Keys Byron, GA Catch Can: Eric
Hoyle Asheville, NC
Jack Man: Jeff Kerr China Grove, NC Spotter: Joey Meier
Marathon, FL
No. 42 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown
Crew Chief: Brian Pattie Zephyrhills, FL Rear Tire
Changer: Chris McMullen Troutman, NC
Chief Mechanic: Heath Silver Asheville, NC Rear Tire Carrier: Chip
Goode Statesville, NC
Front Tire Changer: Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, MN Gas Man:
Mike Bodick Norwalk, CT
Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu Waterford, MI Catch Can:
Heath Silver Asheville, NC
Jack Man: TJ Ford Charlotte, NC Spotter: Tab Boyd
Pensacola, FL
For more information log onto:
www.earnhardtganassi.com
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