Montoya Doubles as NASCAR's Outsider And Contender

Lost in all the geriatric hope of 50-year old Mark Martin's incredible run at his first NASCAR championship and the possibility of Jimmie Johnson producing a historic fourth Sprint Cup Series title is the biggest stunner of the postseason. Or maybe not.

Juan Pablo Montoya is 65 points away from leading the championship standings.

The Colombian-born open wheel star wasn't a shoo-in pick to make the Chase for the Championship. The newly merged Earnhardt Ganassi team hadn't exactly established itself a Hendrick-slayer in the regular season and Montoya only clinched a spot in the 12-driver playoff field during the last possible race to do so.

Two races into the Chase, however, Montoya is ranked third and leading the likes of regular season champ Tony Stewart and one of NASCAR's all-time greatest Jeff Gordon.

But should we really be surprised? No.

Look beyond Montoya's can't-argue Chase performances in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet -- a pole and third place finish at New Hampshire two weeks ago and a fourth-place run Sunday at Dover, Del. -- and Montoya's racing resume gives you every indication that his becoming a realistic contender was only a matter of time.

For all of Montoya's career, he has won. He's won early, often, against the odds and in every type of car he's ever steered. And the difference between him and much of the Chase field is that he doesn't just win races. He knows how to win season championships -- as does his team owner, Chip Ganassi, whose teams are also leading the championship standings in the IndyCar Series and Grand-Am Sports Car Series.

Maybe those fans still leery of accepting Montoya as a stock car driver aren't giving him enough credit. Those that race against him, do give him credit, however, as they know he is a rare and exceptional talent.

NASCAR is the first series where his success has been more gradual, and even saying that is debatable.

The first time Montoya ever competed in a stock car, his ARCA debut in October, 2006 -- only two months removed from Formula One -- he won the pole position at Talladega, Ala., led nine laps and finished third.

Montoya won the Cup Series' Rookie of the Year title in 2007, won a race in only his seventh Nationwide Series start (at Mexico City), won a Cup race in his first season (at Sears Point, Calif.) and last year led the series in one of the most impressive statistical categories: green flag passes (3,090).

More Montoya points to consider:

-- He was the youngest (24) and one of only two drivers in history to win the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) championship as a rookie. And he did it in 1999 when it was still the most competitive American open-wheel series.

-- He is the only driver to have competed in the Indy 500, Brickyard 400 and United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- and he has finishes of fourth or better in each, including the 2000 Indy 500 win and a runner-up in NASCAR's 400-miler. He led the most laps this year, but a pit road speeding penalty took him out of contention.

-- He led 167 of 200 laps to win the 2000 Indianapolis 500, the first Indy rookie to win since Graham Hill in 1966.

-- He and Hill are the only drivers in history to win both the Indy 500 and Formula One's prestigious Grand Prix of Monaco.

-- His success in Formula One came during an era when Michael Schumacher and Ferrari completely dominated the circuit.

-- He is the only driver to win the CART title, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona in his first try.

Factor in all these varied successes, and add in Montoya's apparent coming of age in a stock car, and you have Mario Andretti with a Spanish accent.

And an attitude.

Montoya's aggressiveness is as renowned as his skill and last week his temper was broadcast for everyone to see when he walked out on a scheduled television interview that ran late.

He's rankled his competitors from CART to Formula one and now NASCAR.

But he has their respect.

The question is, when will fans come on board?

People simultaneously think a Montoya championship would be the best thing to happen in NASCAR's evolution. And the worst thing.

But the truth is, it is neither.

Diversity may be a by-product of all of this, but the only thing that should matter is a competitive, compelling championship scenario.

And Montoya's holding up his end.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-28-2009 @ 3:33PM

default said...

I love fanhouse

9-28-2009 @ 4:40PM

nzcr14said said...

WHOOPEY DO, WHOOPEY DO,
HE won the monaco gran prix wrecking other drivers
He won the indyanapolis 500 once because of an AL UNSER MISTAKE. Even ROOKIE LIKE RYAN BRISCOES AND DANICA PATRICK ALMOST WON THE INDY 500.
HE HAS WON 1 RACES IN 3YEARS OF NASCAR TRAINING at SONOMA and he only won because he WRECKED HIS TEAMMATE A.J ALMONDDIGGER OUT OF THE WAY.
HE WON 6-7 F-1 RACES TOTAL IN 8 YEARS RACING for F-1, WHOOPEY DO??? WHAT A GREAT RECORD AH???

He can be the carwash boy or the tire changer when compared to champions like the SHOEMAKER BROS. HAMILTON, ALONSO, MASSA, ANDRETTI ETC.
He won the 24hr at daytona cause SCOTT DIXON TEAMMATE ACHIEVEMENTS before they switched drivers
not because his do.
WHOOPEY DO, WHOOPEY DO , maybe he can get a SHOE SHINER JOB TOO FOR THE F-1, INDY AND NAZCAR ACES
before their media obligations?.
The most raging BULL IN RACING will play THOUGH AND BIG SHOT against the cool easy going weak tempered and fightless drivers of nazcar,F1 and indy, but he WILL NEVER ATTEMPT TO PLAY ROUGH AGAINST TONY STEWART, THE SCHUMACKER BROS. DALE JARRETT OR JIMMY SPENCER OR EVEN MICHAEL ANDRETTI
OR TONY KANAAN.
WHAT A POOR P...Y? He sayed after new hampshire he is going to wreck MMARTIN NEXT TIME.
BIG BOY AGAINST THE CLEANEST DRIVER IN NAZCAR!!
DO THAT AND EVERY TRACK IN NAZCAR IS GOING TO COPYCAT THE TALLADEGA BEER AND SODA POPS CHUCKERS AGAIST JEFF GOD ON FEW YEARS AGO, THOUGH BOY.
YOUR ASS WILL BE SHIPPED BACK TO BOGOTA'IN NO TIME BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER RACE IN USA AGAIN,COWARD!!!!. FUNNY HOW HE played rough against JEFF BOURBON TOO AT NEW HAMPSHIRE but as soon as BOURBON bumped him back THE MONTANA ROUGH PLAY STOPPED.
Real big man ah? LOSER OBNOXIOUS LIKE KYLIE BUSH.
The only defference THE KYLIE CAN DRIVE AND WIN at the very least.
works for me...

9-30-2009 @ 1:56PM

rahalracing said...

My Man;

You need to learn the English language before you criticize drivers like Montoya. He reads and writes it very well. Also research the facts before wasting so much trying to write next time. You sounded like the guy on King of the Hill.

To the rest of you...at least Holly can recognize talent and portray it accurately with aplomb. (You may need a dictionary)

9-28-2009 @ 6:24PM

carmelusp said...

Hey nzcr14, you must be one of those ignorant, illegitimate, half-breed, southern boys! I take it you don't like winners, only losers like yourself. Maybe you don't like him because he's a little bit browner than you? Come on now, let them boys race! I personally like the old guy, but number 14 is also one of my favorites. If this here Juan Pablo wins, well, so be it. He deserves it. Ain't nobody gave him anything!

9-28-2009 @ 9:54PM

anzajoe said...

NO CARAMEL SOUP, geeze i always thought that caramel was a SYRUP.I'm not from the south but i am actually proud to have moved south.YOU YANKEES ARE TOO LIBERAL.I'M also just as brown as he is.
The defference is i do not have my head showed up his butt like you do and i will never withstand this bean eater winning a championship when there are at least 6 more drivers out there that deserve the championship MUCH MORE THAN YOUR LOVER BOY J P MONTANA DOES AND THE 14 IS ONE OF THEM.HE DOES NOT DESERVE S...He has 1 win in 3 YEARS OF SPRINT CUP ANd 1-2year in nationwide.
If he desrves a champ than THE KYLIE BUSH DESERVES AT LEAST 3 CHAMPS but togheter they COMPOSE THE MOST HATED NAZCAR COUPLE OUT THERE.
And your montana boy is hated all over the world exspecially in europe and here will be the same.
And please do not classefy yourself as a TONY STEWART FAN,BECAUSE YOU ARE DEGRADING AND INSULTING THE STEWART NATION OF FANS which i'm a proud believer of for 12 years at least.
Hasta la vista senor tifoso des montanas ombre.
nzcr14 said so.....

9-28-2009 @ 7:53PM

stim1947 said...

JBM is bully on the track and a cry baby off the track. His only win in NASCAR was in Mexico and he had to wreck his team mate to do it. He likes to push people around on the track,but if anyone dose anything to him he gets mad,stomps his feet,sticks out his lower lip and cries about how bad his car is and how bad the other drivers are. He needs to keep his mouth shut and drive.Drive clean and don't try and wreck anyone just for a few points or that win he says they keep cheating him out of.

9-29-2009 @ 1:53AM

Hello David said...

Finally a nascar writer who actully knows what they're talking about! Exelent story, Holly Cain.

9-29-2009 @ 2:00AM

So are you like mildly retarded or are you full on mentally retarded? and FYI Al Unser Jr. didn't even race in the 2000 indy 500; as I recal he wasn't even fast enough to qualify, and it had nothing to do with a mistake either! he just couldn't put up the speed inseveral attempts to qualify his car! Guess what? He was let go by Penke and replaced by Gil DeFeren in 2001. Oh and I watched the Monaco Grand Prix that he won, and he NEVER wrecked anyone! I don't even know where you got that BS from! .... Moron!!!

9-29-2009 @ 4:17AM

That's like one of dumbest posts I have ever read; and I have read allot of dumb post here on the Internet too! What a fkn loser!

9-29-2009 @ 4:42AM

YAWN POS. ANYBODY INTERESTED IN KNOWING THIS BRONX GHETTO TRASH BOY just go read his #26 post in the johnson thread.WHAT A GARBAGE STREET TRASH?
And FYI UNSER RAN AGAINST YA MONTANA LOVERBOY IN 2000. GETS YOUR MEMORY BACK DIRTY, DISGUSTING OLD MAN! yOU SAID IT YOURSELF AL UNSER LEFT PENSKE IN 2001 NOT IN 2000 and he left for business purposes not because BUCK ROGER PENSKY DUMPED HIM.
And about the MONACO gran prix? every race he won out of the few peanuts he wont in many years of F1
and INDY he won it the DIRTY AND BULLY WAY.
YOUR VISION has been failing you old crap;pay a visit to a pearle or sears vision center.
Now get lost filtey loser!!!.NZCR14SAID SO....

9-29-2009 @ 5:19AM

MONTOYA OBNOXIOUS said...

ANZAJOE and NZCR14,
the most negative public relation that nascar policyes could ever elect was to allow JPM in nascar.If he wins the title nascar attendance is going to drop much more than it has.I am with both of you on the montana issue.

9-29-2009 @ 5:31AM

anzajoe! Are you fkn for real??? You're telling me to get my facts strait? Al Unser Jr. who didn't do sh-t in in CART in 1999, didn't race against Montoya in the Indy 500 that Montoya lead all but 33 laps, setting a record that has only recently been broken by Scot Dixon at this years Indy 500. and "Al Unser Jr. left for business reasons" RFLMAO!!! As I remember it, Al Unser had the worst season of his career in 1999 and was amicably released from Roger Penske in that "Al Unser Jr. is a great race car driver, but we have decided to go our separate ways ( because we are not bringing out the best in ourselves in regards to Al and the team") lol, Hey clueless! that's the nice way of firing somebody! lol. Penske brought on Gil DeFeran who won both the 2000 and 2001 CART championships, and his teammate Helio Castroneves who was the replacment for Greg Moore who was supposed to drive for Penske, won The Indy 500 in 2001! So maybe you are the one who needs to get your facts strait! Oh and about that Ghetto boy Bronx Trash thing! Um, I live in in an affluent suburb of San Francisco; that's San Francisco California which has the highest medium price range for houses in the country, and the second highest per capita income, just after New york City. But you probably didn't know that, did you. Hope these facts aren't blowing your crusty old hobo mind! and listen up fleabag! I could send you the link to my facebook page, so you have an idea of who you are talking to; get a taste of what the beautiful people are doing! LMAO!

9-29-2009 @ 3:01PM

OOOHHH SO I should known. HELLOW FRUITCAKE lives
in the GAY BAY area ah?Bet he is in the FARMINGDALE GHETTO.
ONLY QUEER AND FEAR COMES FROM SAN FRANCISCO gay bay.
Which one are you? HELLOOO GAYBOY i'M now sure it's you that does those things you said i suppose to do in the post 26 of the JOHNSON
SERVES TITLE NOTICE FILE.GET LOST DOG BREATH I could never be gay cause i'm a SHE and not a FAIRY LIKE YA. nzcr14 said so...

9-29-2009 @ 6:00PM

Iv'e come here to apolagize! Al Under Jr. did race in the 2000 Indy 500! it was the 95 one that he couldn't qualify for! Ma bad! Al Jr. had a steller performance of qualifying 18th and finishing 29th in 2000!

9-29-2009 @ 6:34PM

So I guess that Jeff Gordon, AJ Allmendiner and Jimmy Vassar are all gay too, as they are all from the Gay Area hah!

9-29-2009 @ 10:10PM

anna nzcr14 said...

HERE WE GO AGAIN; DUDE must be getting his info at the SFGB FLEA MARKET OR AT THE CORNER HUT.

JEFF GOD ON IS NOT FROM THE GAY BAY. HE IS FROM PITTSBORO INDIANA. ILLSELLU can tell U that also as he is an avid J G FAN.

A. J ALMOND DIGGER ( A.J. I'M A DINGER ) for some is from LOS ANGELES CAL. and born in LA, NOT from
S. FRANC. GAY BAY.

JIMMY VASCULAR ;do not know and do not care.

AL UNSER DID NOT FINISH 29. HE ENDED UP IN TOP 5
at that race and it was because amistake of his entering turn 4 too fast and slipping all over
and so ya MONTANA BOY passed him and took the win
last 2 laps.TRY YOUR INFO news at 7/11 next time; it's a little better than the flea market one or the hut.

MIKE YEAP a real nice friend; did you read post 27
in the JJ FILE? LOL, and just the day before you were talking about dirty old mans,lmao.
I'M SURPRISED that VERONICA and KIM hasn't got here yet. They both hate the MONTANA BOY.
And here HELLOOOO FOOL thinks we hate him cause he is spanish.YEAH RIGHT????? THE CHICO, LIKE THE KYLIE BUSH BRINGS THE HATE ON THEMSELVES.
OOPS mybe the KYLIE is from SFGB too or maybe he is SPANISH/POLAC/JAP??? LOL.
Have a great day and i'm waiting for that answer mike. ciao, ciao.

9-29-2009 @ 7:55PM

illsell4u said...

Making new friends, Anna? When I saw this article on JPM I just knew I would find you here.
Welcome to the chase. The time of year when we will read article after article about nobody but the chasers. I guess that is really the fair way to handle it though. In any other "sport" you don't here crap about the teams that didn't make it to the payoffs. Why should Nascar be any different? So unless a team not in the chase has some real earth shattering news, this is going to be all about the guys still in the hunt for a CHASE trophy.
mbl

9-30-2009 @ 2:59AM

Attention Retarded Redneck B-tch! You are seriously out of your mind! I mean are you in some sort of state of denial or something? I the 2000 Indy 500 on DVD and I can assure you that he was NEVER even a factor in the race! Greg Ray had the pole position and hung onto the lead. Montoya who qualified 2ND passed Ray on the 12Th lap and lead a record 167 of 200 laps, and NOT the last two laps of the race! I watched that DVD and Al Unser Jr. just had an embarrassing performance and basically looked like a washed up has been. How are you a nascar fan if you don't even know a basic thing like Jeff Gordon was borne in Vallego California and moved with his family when he was a child to Indianapolis to pursue a racing career? AJ Allendiger is also from the Bay Area you dumb b-tch! I don't even care about him, but I do know that he is definitely from Los Gattos California which is in Northern California (The Bay Area) and not from whatever the hell you said! Do you think that people are stupid or something? that you're just gonna make stuff up as you write, and that anybody is going to take you seriously? All one needs to do is look it up on the internet. News Flash! People (reasonable intelligent people) who don't hate Juan Montoya because he is Hispanic are all laughing at you! especially the part about Al Unser Jr. being the real star of the 2000 Indy 500! You are seriously either dumbest person, or one of the dumbest people who I have ever encountered in my life!

Jeff Gordon (Vallego California) Jimmy Vassar (Conaga Park California) AJ Allmendinger (Los Gattos California) David Baldwin (Los Altos California) that last guy I mentioned is freekin awesome! lol

9-30-2009 @ 11:11PM

OH so now i'm a bitch ah? a redneck ah? a retarded
dumb bitch ah? what's going to be next? ah, HELLOOOO DAVID THE STUPID; label do not bother me
scumbag;i'm used too worse than that.
And than you expect mature responses?How can anyone give mature replys to a drive by bees like you? Have you missed your meds again last night?
I do not doubt you have a video or a cd. THE QUESTION IS WHAT RACE CD YOU HAVE and your allucination (side effect from missing the meds)
keeps on saying it was the 2000 race that went exactly how i told you and NOT WHAT YOUR ALTERED STATES OF MIND ARE LETTING YOU PERCIEVE.
Also, i have a montly nascar milestone magazine here that i read for ages and it sayes JEFF GOD ON IS FROM PITTSBORO INDIANA and not the gay bay like you said. It also says that AJ ALMOND DIGER IS FROM L.A. AND NOT THE S.FRANC. GAY BAY LIKE YOU first sayed and now you changing both to palo alto, los gattos, los altos and whatever other MIRAGE YOU ARE HAVING.I even did a search on BINGO
for JG & AJA to double check and make sure and BING says the same as MILESTONE.
SO SHUT THE HELL UP QUEER AND BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE. I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN, but do not try to impose YOUR GARBAGE ON ME!!!!!.It will not work. Search on BING and you see it for yourself dumb ass.I'M NOT EVEN GONNA REPLY ANYMORE!
And who the hell is DAVID BALDWIN anyhoo? you said you live in the gay bay post 12 above so i'll take that DAVID BALDWIN FROM LOS ALTOS MUST BE YOUR CUTE ,AWESOME WONDERFUL BOYFRIEND AH?
MUAH, I LIKE GAYS AND LESBOS , say hi to him for me, will ya? thanks pinkey david,XOXOXO, ciao.

9-30-2009 @ 3:36AM

xxxsexyveronica said...

Hey ANNA sorry haven't got here any early; i hadn't even noticed this other thread until tonight and particularly i do not look forward to any montoya news. You are right, as 1 of millions of fans i despice this driver, i hate him so bad, it's beyond anybody's imagination and his spanish nationality has nothing to do with.
The guy is simply a wash when it comes to public relations; i'm to the point that i can easily say
kyle busch,even though another mostly hated nascar driver is no match with this montoya creep.
I also have to agree with the above montoya obnoxious poster about the nascar attendance dropping promptly if the MONTANA boy as you call him, wins the championship.I for sure will quit the following and so will my friends up here.
Some fans keep on bringing up dale e. junior as a media fabrication and worthless.The reality is junior has a better record in wins and busch champs than this nasty cackey montoya carature and he done in half of the years spent in racing
if one compares dej to jpm records.So the media fabrication i believe shall stick to montoya much more than to dej.

And hello david, you been jumping blog to blog promoting your montoya idol and you been bashing on other posters that dislike or hate him.
I guess, that's ok for you to do but when others do it back at you, they become retarded, clueless,
morons and so on.You shall learn to swallow you own medicine at times and don't do to others if you cannot stand others doing it to you.
I did read post 27 in the JJ file to anna. You are disgusting, filtey and a dirty pig and if that what you are going to post when you are in trouble, you should not even be allowed to post anything here or any other sport sites.

Anna, i'll talk to ya tomorrow,i just got back in
and very tired;going to bed,take care.