With only six races remaining to make the cut-off for the Chase, the Target and Bass Pro Shops teams were looking to bring home some solid results and gain some positions in the point standings at Pocono. The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team started the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 from the 16th position and felt like they had a competitive car for the race. The No. 1 team would eventually have to race from the back of the field to overcome a pit road penalty and ended up posting a 22nd-place finish. The Target team would battle with everything from handling to an on-track incident with 20 laps remaining. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet would cross the finish line in the 32nd position when the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 concluded.
McMurray and crew spent the majority of both practice sessions on Friday working on race set-ups and felt that they had a car that would be very competitive for long runs during Sunday’s 500 mile race at Pocono Raceway. The Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet ran solidly in the top-20 through much of the early stages of the 200 lap event. On lap 87 the team would have to serve a pit road penalty for an equipment violation and would end up one lap down to the leaders. McMurray battled to gain positions and was able to take advantage of two timely cautions to get back on the lead lap and ultimately bring the car home in 22nd place.
Juan Pablo Montoya took to the track Friday for two practice sessions. The team spent both practice sessions working on the handling of the No. 42 Chevrolet. Saturday morning qualifying got underway and Montoya laid down the 23rd quickest time for Sunday’s race. On race day, the green flag waved and within 10 laps, Montoya reported in a handling problem, which would plague the race car for the majority of the race. Just past the halfway point, rain showers moved into the area causing a red flag to be displayed for approximately two hours. When teams returned to racing, Montoya restarted in the 21st position and battled for positions until an on-track incident caused him to make contact with another car and the wall. The Target Chevrolet sustained significant damage to the right front fender and spent two laps on pit road for repairs. Montoya finished out the race and would be credited with 32nd position.
Results (with starting pos.) Pocono Raceway
1. (13) Brad Keselowski No. 2 Dodge
22. (16) Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
32. (23) Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet
The next event on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will be the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen August 14th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT and will air on ESPN and MRN radio affiliates from Watkins Glen International.