The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Team had two Top-20 finishes at Watkins Glen International

The Target and McDonald’s team had to start the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips at Watkins Glen International on Monday morning after the rain on Sunday forced postponement of the 90 lap event. Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team returned to the race over the weekend to defend their 2010 race win. The No. 42 Chevrolet qualified in the fifth position and would lead four laps before closing out the race in the seventh position. Jamie McMurray started from the 14th-position and was challenged early when they had to make an unscheduled stop within the first five laps. They overcame the lost track position throughout the race and made their way back to a top-20 finish in 17th-position.

The Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Teams coasts across the finish line at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

At the halfway point of the 2011 season, teams headed to the “magic mile” at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The No. 42 Target team started in the eighth position and played with pit/fuel strategy all day in hopes of bringing home a top spot. With two laps remaining that hope would disappear as Montoya radioed in that he was out of fuel. The No. 42 Chevrolet would have to settle for a 30th-place finish. Jamie McMurray started at the 25th position and had and afternoon filled with ups and downs throughout the 301 lap event. The team’s hopes to stretch fuel mileage after final pit stops came up three laps shy and dropped the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet to a 31st-place finish.

The Inaugural Quaker State 400 brought many challenges to the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Team

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to Kentucky Speedway for their inaugural race over the weekend. The No. 42 Target Chevrolet started in the second position and spent the majority of the 267-lap event up in the top-10. After a pit stop with 12 laps remaining, Montoya was issued a speeding penalty and sent to the back of the field. The 42 found itself in the 15th position when the checkered flag waved. Jamie McMurray started the Inaugural Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway from the 36th position and quickly went to work improving positions, making his way to the top-25 before the halfway mark of the 267 lap race. On lap 201 his hopes soured when the engine of his No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet let go, relegating him to a 36th place finish.

Top-10 finish for Montoya at the “World Center of Racing”

Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team returned to the “World Center of Racing” over the 4th of July weekend. The team qualified in the 30th position and spent 170 laps drafting with teammate Jamie McMurray. The race ended with two green/white/checkered attempts in a shootout to the finish where the No. 42 Target Chevrolet closed out the night in the ninth position.

Top 15 finish for McMurray while Montoya had an abrupt end in Sonoma

The Cottonelle team returned to the site of Juan Pablo Montoya’s very first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win over the weekend. The team worked on the set-up of the race car throughout the weekend and found the right balance come race time. Montoya was a top 10 contender throughout the race until an on-track altercation with seven laps remaining took him out of contention for a top spot. Jamie McMurray started the Toyota/ Save Mart 350 from the outside front row on the 1.99-mile road course in Sonoma, and worked hard all day to overcome on track issues and post a 15th-place finish in the McDonald’s Chevrolet at Infineon Raceway.

Tough Day for the Target and McDonald’s Team in the ‘Irish Hills’

Teams headed to the ‘Irish Hills’ of Michigan [Michigan International Speedway] over the weekend for a 200-lap race. The No. 1 McDonald’s team began the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 from the 14th-position and battled with a tight race car most of the event. With solid pit stops throughout the race the team worked to find the right balance on the car and managed to keep McMurray running among the top 25 all afternoon to bring home a 19th-place finish. Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team sported a new paint scheme over the weekend to promote the upcoming film, Cars 2. The No. 42 Chevrolet qualified in the 25th position and battled the right balance with handling for the entire weekend. He would eventually have to settle for a 30th-place finish.

Target Team Nabs a Top-10 Finish and the McDonald’s Team Places 33rd at the 5-Hour Energy 500 in Pocono

Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team were a permanent fixture up in the top-10 for 200-laps at Pocono Raceway. The No. 42 Chevrolet started in the 16th position, led a total of 38 laps and overcame a transmission problem in the closing laps to finish seventh. This marks the fifth top-10 finish for the Target team this season and advances Montoya to the 13th position in the point standings; 22 out of 10th. Jamie McMurray started from the 13th-position and the McDonald’s team showed strength early on in the race and McMurray quickly drove the No. 1 Chevrolet into the top-10. However, hopes of staying up front all day would come to an abrupt end when the team lost third gear in the transmission, resulting in a lengthy repair and a 33rd place finish.