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Wingo said his calculations told him Montoya would run out about a lap short of the end.
“We had to play a little bit of catch-up, so we had to take a gamble there at the end,” Wingo said. “He did a great job on saving fuel, everybody did a good job on the stops, and the motor shop did a great job. Without the fuel mileage we’d have never made it.”
McMurray ran out of gas at the start of lap 109 and finished 37th while Montoya saved enough fuel to run a cool-down lap and do a victory burnout before his fuel light came on.
Harvick inherited second place when McMurray slowed. He was followed across the finish line by his Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer, who also got great fuel mileage.
Harvick, who appeared to be getting the best mileage of all, thought he might have the race won when McMurray slowed and Montoya was short-shifting to save gas late in the race.
“They came on the radio and told me you’ve got 20 laps to make up one lap of fuel and the two cars in front of you are both three laps short,” Harvick said. “That’s how we played it and (Montoya) didn’t run out of gas.”
Harvick wasn’t surprised that he was chasing Montoya at the end.
“I’ve been a big fan of Montoya’s since he came over,” Harvick said. “He’s a great road racer, but he wasn’t the fastest. The strategy won it for him today.”
Robby Gordon, who started alongside pole-winner McMurray, also was a victim of failed strategy after leading a race-high 48 laps. He finished 16th.
Reed Sorenson spun out on lap 67, bringing out the last of full-course caution flags. While Robby Gordon and several other leaders gambled and stayed on track, opting to pit later under green, Montoya and other contenders made their final stops under the yellow flag on lap 68.
Montoya came out of that stop 12th but moved steadily forward as the drivers ahead of him began to make their gas stops. He was third by lap 78, setting up the dramatic finish.
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