Juan Pablo Montoya continued his rise through the ranks of premier NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, rallying from a lap down to finish ninth in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Following the late-evening finish, Brian Pattie, crew chief for Montoya’s No. 42 Chevrolet, was presented the prestigious NASCAR® MOOG® Problem Solver of the Race Award for his role in securing the team’s eighth top-10 finish of the season.
The MOOG Problem Solver Award, sponsored by Federal-Mogul Corporation, is presented following each Sprint Cup event to the crew chief whose team finishes on the lead lap and posts the largest increase in average lap speed from the first half to the second half of an event. Montoya’s No. 42 Chevrolet picked up a race-best .186- second over the final 80 laps at Daytona.
The strong finish propelled Montoya into 11th place in driver points; the top 12 drivers following the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond on Septe. 12 will qualify for the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship shootout.
One key to the strong finish was being able to steer clear of trouble, as serious crashes on laps 13, 77 and 160 reshuffled the field. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet was collected in the Lap 13 mishap but Montoya was able to avoid heavy contact with the tangled cars of Mark Martin (No. 5 Chevrolet) and Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Ford). The No. 42 car’s MOOG-equipped steering and suspension system was undamaged in the incident, though Montoya fell a lap behind the leaders.
“From Lap 13 on, the No. 42 team showed why they belong in the top 10,” says Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “After falling a lap down, Juan, Brian Pattie and the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing crew did an excellent job of making the right calls, avoiding trouble and maintaining their precise chassis handling as track conditions changed.
“In some races, being the MOOG Problem Solver of the Week means making the best decisions down the stretch; in others, those key decisions are needed almost immediately to improve your competitiveness," Nelson adds. "Brian earned his MOOG Award by helping his team stay patient after Lap 13, and then tweaking the car’s chassis over the balance of the race to put Juan in position for a strong finish.”
For more information, visit www.moogproblemsolver.com.
