<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) In this May 28, 2005 file photo, Jimmy Elledge, Dale Earnhardt Jr's brother-in-law, watches practice for the Coca-Cola 600 race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. A crew-chief change helped Juan Pablo Montoya to his best finish of the season. But Montoya thinks it's far too early to tell if Jimmy Elledge will make him a championship contender.

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Richmond slip shows Montoya not yet a title contender

By Jenna Fryer
Associated Press

Ed: AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer will periodically catch up with Juan Pablo Montoya this season to chronicle his pursuit of a spot in the championship race.

CONCORD, N.C. — Almost a month after a crew chief swap at Chip Ganassi Racing put Jimmy Elledge in charge of Juan Pablo Montoya's team, the two are finally getting to know each other.

Montoya and Elledge spent their first extended time together at this week's two-day test at Lowe's Motor Speedway, allowing Elledge to fully understand what kind of race cars the former Formula One star needs to be successful.

The two didn't have a real chance to communicate before their debut race at Talladega Superspeedway, where handling doesn't matter and Montoya finished a season-best second. Then it was on to Richmond International Raceway, where in two quick hours of practice time, Elledge was unable to get the car to Montoya's liking.

"It was such a tight schedule and we had so many questions at Richmond, and not enough time to answer them, and we just pretty much missed it. We didn't have a car suitable for him," said Elledge, who spent 80 races with Reed Sorenson before he was moved to Montoya's crew.

"The last two days is the first time we've had a chance to work together and test together. Different drivers respond to different things, and you kind of get programmed when you work with a certain driver for so long. So this was good to be able to run through changes and understand what Juan responds to. I've got a lot better understanding of what he looks for in a car now."

After moving up to 12th in the standings after Talladega, a 32nd-place finish at Richmond for the No. 42 Dodge dropped Montoya to 16th in the standings and out of contention for the Chase for the championship.

Even during his brief stint inside the top 12, Montoya cautioned that his team is a long way away from being a legitimate title contender — and Elledge agrees.

"I don't want to degrade our program," Elledge said. "But that's a lot of stout competition to be in the top 12. There's probably 13 to 15 legitimate teams that have a shot at it, and right now, I just think we are not competitive enough consistently to be able to beat those guys.

"You've got to replace somebody to be in that top 12, and right now we're battling Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards and people like that who are really, really good. Realistically, if we can finish 15th or 14th and be close to that, we've probably met our expectations and will keep making progress. But I just don't see making the Chase without winning a lot of races and contending to win a lot of races."

When they concluded testing Tuesday, Elledge headed back to the race shop to apply what he learned this week to wholesale changes to the car they'll race Saturday night in Darlington, S.C.

"I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did a week ago. We went to Richmond, and all I can do is what I've known to do and that wasn't right for him," Elledge said. "From here on out, it's just track time and communication that we need, and I feel a lot better now about it than I did."

Fryer's Q&A with Juan Pablo Montoya:

Q: You cracked that top 12 that made you an official 'Chase contender,' but all you've done is caution that it's way too early to ...

JPM: It's way too early and I think we've been very consistent, but at this point, I don't think we're where we need to be.

Q: So you don't think you are a top 12 car right now?

JPM: No. Not at all. We aren't.

Q: How far away are you from being there?

JPM:I don't know. You look at qualifying in Richmond (he was sixth) and you think we are there. But if you look at every other week, where we've been, and you know we are missing.

Q: So how do you like Jimmy?

JPM: Jimmy has been so far so good. It's all about the learning. We need something different in our cars to go from where we were to better, and we're trying that.

Q: What are you getting Connie for Mother's Day?

JPM: I don't know. Do you have any ideas?

Q: Well, the Wii was a good idea.

JPM: But the Wii was last year.

Q: So you have to top that? I believe she likes jewels and purses.

JPM: Yeah, she wants some jewelry, but I don't know.

Q: Then get her a car.

JPM: She's got two freakin' cars. I've just got one, and she's got two.

Q: So send her to a spa?

JPM: I've got to do that, plus a present. She wants some earrings and some things, so we'll see.