The only word that came to Juan Pablo Montoya’s mind was “heartbreak” as he tried to describe running out of fuel while running second on the last lap of the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350: Juan Pablo Montoya ‘heartbroken’ after running out of fuel on final lap
Montoya said he was devastated after his gas gauge read ‘E’ while running second on the final lap Sunday at Sonoma.
Jerry Markland
Although he had no chance of catching eventual winner Martin Truex Jr., the result would have represented a great points day as he attempts to fight his way into the Chase.
“The guys did an amazing job; it’s just heartbreak,” said Montoya, who fell all the way down to 34th. “It’s heartbreak for me and everybody on the Target team.”
What added to Montoya’s frustration was the lack of communication between him and his crew. He was never made aware that his No. 42 car was in danger of running out of fuel. Had he been alerted, he had enough of a cushion on third-place that he could have backed off his pace and conserved gas.
But without knowing he was cutting it close, Montoya continued his dogged pursuit of Truex. It was a decision that proved to be costly.
What also confounded Montoya was why his team encouraged him to push harder in the closing laps as he worked through traffic and then, asked him suddenly to save fuel.
“You get in clean air and they’re asking me to run as hard as I can,” Montoya said. “I’m doing that and you’re going to use a little more fuel.
“It should have been a little smarter. With five (laps) to go you start saving a little bit, just in case. We’ve got tools to prevent things like that from happening.”
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