Juan Pablo Montoya is likely one of the most versatile race automotive drivers on the planet. His illustrious profession contains seven Method 1 wins, reaching the highest podium step with each Williams and McLaren. He additionally scored 30 podiums and 13 poles in simply 94 begins, and completed as excessive as third within the World Championship. Past F1, he is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, profitable as a rookie, after which once more 15 years later. He additionally clinched the 1999 CART title.
The resume goes on in sports activities automotive racing as a three-time total winner of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (2007, 2008, 2013). He received the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Collection championship outright in 2019 with Staff Penske. JPM has even been on the rostrum for Le Mans and received the Race of Champions. So yeah, it is simple to say he is fairly good. Then there’s his NASCAR stint, the place he received two Cup races in 255 begins, gathering 24 top-fives, 59 top-tens, and 9 poles.
Now 48 years outdated, Montoya will return to NASCAR in a one-off begin with 23XI Racing this weekend at Watkins Glen — the positioning of his second and final Cup win. So, it appeared like an ideal alternative to look again on a few of the most memorable moments from his NASCAR profession — each the nice and the dangerous.
Up in flames
Okay, we’re getting this one out of the best way first. Sure, the notorious jet dryer incident throughout the 2012 Daytona 500. The truth that it is the very first thing anybody desires to speak about at any time when JPM and NASCAR are talked about in the identical sentence does a disservice to the stable profession he put collectively there. However hey, the observe did form of burst into flames. Whereas below warning for an unrelated incident, Montoya introduced his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing machine down pit street, reporting a vibration. “One thing is massively damaged,” he warned, simply because the group despatched him again out onto the observe.
Catching as much as the again of the sphere at a excessive charge of pace, the rear trailing arm broke as he entered Flip 3. The automotive shot to the appropriate — spinning uncontrolled. Immediately within the path of his spinning automotive, up in opposition to the wall, had been two jet dryers. Montoya slammed into the again of one of many vans, destroying his automotive and spilling someplace round 200 gallons of jet gasoline throughout the observe. It rapidly ignited, leading to an enormous inferno that stopped the race.
It was very unlucky timing and a freak accident in contrast to something we have seen earlier than or after it. The driving force of the Jet dryer, Duane Barnes, and Montoya had been examined at Halifax Medical Heart. Neither had been severely damage. Some thought the race would by no means resume and the observe could have been broken, however they had been in a position to get again underway after a two-hour cleanup course of.
A jet dryer truck is on fireplace after a crash with Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet on lap 160
Photograph by: Eric Gilbert
“Nasty, soiled driving!”
In 2007, the NASCAR Xfinity Collection was racing at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico (which can even host the first-ever Cup race south of the border in 2025.) Ganassi appeared set for a 1-2 end with Scott Pruett main Montoya. Nevertheless, the Colombian racer received into his teammate with eight laps to go, sending him spinning. This cleared the best way for Montoya’s first win at any stage of NASCAR and it left Pruett lower than impressed.
“Of all individuals to take you out — your teammate. That was simply no good, low, nasty, soiled driving,” declared Pruett, a multi-time champion within the sports activities automotive racing world. He by no means did win a NASCAR race. Montoya stated he “felt actually dangerous” in regards to the contact, but in addition felt his teammate turned in on him. It wasn’t the final time he clashed along with his fellow driver.
Scott Pruett leads Juan Pablo Montoya
Photograph by: Getty Photos
Making historical past at Sonoma
It did not take lengthy for Montoya to again up that Xfinity win along with his first victory in a Cup automotive. As a rookie in 2007, Montoya was operating down Jamie McMurray at Sonoma Raceway. He dove below him into the hairpin, solely to blow the entry and rapidly give the lead again. With seven laps remaining, he tried once more, however this time below braking into Flip 1. The cross caught and he drove off into the gap.
It was very shut on gasoline, however he managed to have sufficient within the tank for the run to the end. He referred to as it a “large victory” for him as he took a second to catch his breath in Victory Lane. A local of Bogota, Colombia, JPM was the primary, and to-date, the one South American driver to ever win a Cup race.
Victory lane: race winner Juan Pablo Montoya celebrates
Photograph by: Todd Corzett
Brickyard 400 heartbreak
When speaking about drivers that attempted to transition from collection that predominantly raced on street programs to oval-heavy NASCAR, Montoya was one of many extra spectacular adapters. One observe the two-time Indy 500 winner took a liking to was IMS, which shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a shock.
In 2009, he placed on a completely dominant efficiency within the Brickyard 400. He led 116 of 160 laps, however his shot of kissing the bricks vanished after an unlucky rushing penalty throughout the remaining pit cease.
JPM couldn’t imagine it. “No means,” he radioed earlier than including: “We had this within the bag … thanks NASCAR for screwing my day.” He completed eleventh in a heartbreaking finish to one of the vital spectacular days of his NASCAR profession.
Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Photograph by: Michael C. Johnson
Almost coming to blows with ‘Joyful’ Harvick
In his time in NASCAR, the fiery driver had no points buying and selling paint and standing up for himself. There have been a number of moments the place he received into it along with his fellow driver, however none fairly just like the 2007 Cup race at Watkins Glen. Montoya was operating sixth on observe in a late-race restart. After an aggressive block into Flip 1, he received spun by Martin Truex Jr., colliding with Kevin Harvick, and wrecking each vehicles. These two drivers are identified for his or her tempers, so it wasn’t a shock when a heated confrontation broke out over the incident. There was shoving and helmet grabbing — over the course of 40 seconds, the confrontation escalated and punches had been presumably seconds away from being thrown. That is when Harvick’s teammate Jeff Burton and NASCAR officers lastly separated the 2.
Montoya defined that he tried to inform Harvick how he received punted by Truex, however the future Cup champion wasn’t considering listening. Later, Harvick was requested in regards to the dialogue: “I used to be speaking about kicking his ass as a result of that’s how I felt about it.”
Juan Pablo Montoya and Kevin Harvick have a post-crash assembly
Photograph by: Eric Gilbert
The final checkered flag
Montoya was not going to be denied at Watkins Glen in 2010. After qualifying third, he led 74 of 90 laps, profitable by almost 5 seconds over Kurt Busch. He talked about how a lot he beloved racing within the Cup Collection and highlighted the struggles because it was 114 races between his first and second profession wins.
“It is nice,” Montoya stated in Victory Lane. “We misplaced a variety of them and gave away a variety of them. It was getting irritating. All people will get combating, however this group does a tremendous job.”
Victory lane: race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet celebrates
Photograph by: Adriano Manocchia
Shockingly, it turned it out to be the second and final victory of his Cup profession, regardless of racing up till the 2014 season. He confirmed marked enchancment at ovals and was in competition for quite a few race wins all kinds of tracks, however he by no means discovered the checkered flag once more. Montoya ended his profession with one playoff look, ending as excessive as eighth within the championship in 2009. It stays tied for the best factors end by a foreign-born driver within the historical past of the Cup Collection.
Now, Montoya will try to write down a brand new chapter in his NASCAR story at Watkins Glen this Sunday.
