Where's Juan? Las Vegas

When Juan Montoya pulls into Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, he'll have at least one "victory" to his credit on the 1.5-mile speedway.

Juan Montoya

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During NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing at Las Vegas last month, Montoya covered the 1.5-mile track in 28.914 seconds at 186.761 mph. That was more than 2 mph faster than the existing track record, set by fellow Dodge 'mate Kasey Kahne last year. Kahne's mark, which still stands because track records are set only in qualifying, is 29.212 seconds, 184.856 mph.

Last year at Las Vegas, Montoya was running in the lead pack until he tripped over David Gilliland and damaged the No. 42 Dodge.

"It's a shame," Montoya said then. "The car was really fast. When we went a lap down we were checking the 48 [Jimmie Johnson] and the M&M's car [Gilliland] just got in the way. I had damage on my fender and from there a grille broke and we just went backwards from there and the car became undriveable.

"The car was good from the beginning. When you damage the fenders at a track like this you're done. We've just got to keep working on the cars and making them faster."

Earlier in the weekend, he qualified his Dodge on the outside of the second row, the last of four Dodges in qualifying.

It was the week after a controversial victory in the Nationwide Series race in Mexico City, where he punted teammate Scott Pruett on the final lap to take the checkered flag.

Montoya at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Back in Black: Montoya will wear the red and black colors of Texaco/Havoline this weekend for the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

• Montoya will make his second trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a Sprint Cup race after his rookie season last year. Montoya and the No. 42 team had three unfortunate issues that relegated them to a 22nd-place finish in 2007 at the 1.5-mile track.

• Montoya, teammate Reed Sorenson and several other NASCAR drivers will participate in Kyle Petty's Victory Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 28 at Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The tournament will benefit The Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Arizona State University College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation.

• Montoya gained five positions in the Sprint Cup standings following his 20th-place effort in California. Montoya finished 32nd at Daytona and now sits 27th in Cup points heading into the third race of the season.

• For the second year in a row, spotter Tab Boyd will be posting an exclusive blog on TexacoHavoline42.com. Boyd recaps the race from atop the spotter's stand as Montoya's "Eyes in the Sky."