“We just need a little bit of Lady Luck on our side.”
—South Florida-resident Juan Pablo Montoya, who has finished Top 10 in every race he has finished in 2010
South Florida-resident Juan Pablo Montoya has 12 races to lock in a Chase “playoff” bid, and he’s currently 173 points outside the cut-off. That next opportunity to gain points comes tomorrow at Michigan International Speedway—Race 15 of 36 en route to NASCAR’s series-crowning Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 19-21.
Montoya got off to a good start yesterday, leading the first Sprint Cup practice at Michigan, before qualifying 10th for tomorrow’s race. After qualifying, the driver of the No. 42 said: “This Target car is incredible….Chevrolet motors are running incredible every week. It’s just nice to have a good race car. We just need a little bit of Lady Luck on our side.”
Indeed, Montoya has started all 14 races of the Sprint Cup season but has fallen victim to an inordinate amount of engine issues and on-track tangling—which makes the following stat all the more remarkable: In the seven races in which he has completed all scheduled laps, South Florida’s hometown’er has NEVER finished outside of the Top 10, recording a phenomenal four Top 5s and three Top 10s.
That said, 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. 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.
Tomorrow’s race at Michigan (1 p.m., TNT) is Race 15 of 36 en route to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 19-21).