“Shame on the result, but we had a pretty good car.”
—South Florida-resident Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished 13th at Michigan in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Race
South Florida-resident Juan Pablo Montoya had his moments on track in today’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan—running as high as second place and in the Top 5 for a good portion of the day—but when it was all said and done, he finished 13th. The finish represented the first time all year that Montoya finished outside of the Top 10 in races in which he has completed all scheduled laps. Today’s race was No. 15 of 36 en route to NASCAR’s series-crowning Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 19-21).
“Shame on the result, but we had a pretty good car. It just wouldn’t go in the short run,” the driver of the No. 42 “tweeted” post-race.
Montoya needs to be in the Top 12 overall points to make the Chase cut-off (Sept. 11) to qualify for the Sprint Cup “playoffs” that culminate in Miami this fall, and he has 11 races remaining to accomplish the feat. It is worth noting that one year ago, he rattled off nine Top 10s in a span of 14 races to vault from 15th to a Chase spot.
Montoya’s next opportunity to gain points comes next weekend at Sonoma—Race 16 of 36 en route to NASCAR’s series-crowning Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 19-21.