Martinsville Preview: “I am excited about heading to a short track this weekend. I don’t have tons of experience on short tracks, but Martinsville is a track I race well on. There are so many elements that go into racing here. The first element is racing the track. It is a real tight track that resembles a paper clip. The straightaways are very long which allow you to pick up speed, but then you immediately head into the tight corners. You have to save your tires, brakes and constantly watch the truck in front and behind you. Patience is a virtue during the race. You cannot race a guy really hard in the opening laps because the truck will fall off by the end, but at the same time you cannot get behind. It is a challenging race track, but I love racing on it.”
 
Testing Counts: “The No. 18 Dodge Team had a great test at Martinsville. It will pay off not only at Martinsville, but many other tracks we race on. The test was not perfect, but I learned so much. Bobby (Hamilton) really showed me how to run on a track like Martinsville. He showed me lines to run and how to save my tires. My crew chief, Kip McCord, made me stay out and make a long run. I was not too happy about it at first because the truck was not very good. I soon realized he was trying to show me how to take an ill-handling truck and make it work. It is so easy for me to want to come in and fix everything to make it run better, but in a race you cannot always do that. A good racecar driver can take what he is given and make it finish better than it should. The Atlanta race was not a great finish for us, but we made a huge leap in communication during the weekend. Kip and are still learning each other and what makes us tick. We are on the upside of this battle and I think everyone will see that at Martinsville. If we don’t get caught up in someone else’s mess, I expect us to finish in the top ten.”  

Outside Looking In: “I understand what NASCAR was doing when they made the decision to guarantee the top 30 in points a starting position, but it stinks when you are on the outside looking in. We have to get a solid finish this weekend or we are in trouble heading to Gateway. The first two races we got caught up in other people’s mistakes and it has put us in a hole. I think NASCAR is trying to accommodate the sponsors who have been dedicated to the sport, but at the same time they are keeping sponsors out that want to come in. Testing at Martinsville will definitely help us out and I am confident we will have decent finish. Hopefully, we won’t have to worry about this much longer.”

Notes:
• Montgomery is racing Butthead this weekend at Martinsville. This chassis in the top-10 four times last season, and won in Indianapolis.
• Montgomery will be making his third career start at Martinsville on Saturday. He competed in last years’ spring NCTS event and finished 16th.

Experience Helps: “I learned a lot in my rookie season last year, but I am thankful to have that behind me. The best part about my second season in the NCTS is having experience at all the tracks we compete on. Last year every track we went to I spent the first 50 laps figuring out how to drive and the rest trying to work on a set up. It leaves you with no time to tweak on your set up or get ahead. Then you start the race and go at it for 200 laps. It can be very discouraging at times. The second time around is so much more fun. You can unload and get to work right off the bat. Your rookie season is a big learning curve. I am still learning this year, but I am building upon last year. I am more confident in myself and my team’s ability.”