The largest moments of Juan Pablo Montoya’s NASCAR profession

Juan Pablo Montoya is likely one of the most versatile race automotive drivers on the planet. His illustrious profession consists of seven Components 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 general winner of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (2007, 2008, 2013). He received the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Collection championship outright in 2019 with Crew 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 previous, 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 number 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 in the course of the 2012 Daytona 500. The truth that it is the very first thing anybody needs to speak about every time JPM and NASCAR are talked about in the identical sentence does a disservice to the strong profession he put collectively there. However hey, the monitor did type of burst into flames. Whereas beneath warning for an unrelated incident, Montoya introduced his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing machine down pit highway, reporting a vibration. “One thing is massively damaged,” he warned, simply because the staff despatched him again out onto the monitor.

Catching as much as the again of the sphere at a excessive price of pace, the rear trailing arm broke as he entered Flip 3. The automotive shot to the fitting — spinning uncontrolled.  Straight within the path of his spinning automotive, up in opposition to the wall, have been two jet dryers. Montoya slammed into the again of one of many vehicles, destroying his automotive and spilling someplace round 200 gallons of jet gas throughout the monitor. It rapidly ignited, leading to a large inferno that stopped the race.

It was very unlucky timing and a freak accident not like something we have seen earlier than or after it. The motive force of the Jet dryer, Duane Barnes, and Montoya have been examined at Halifax Medical Heart. Neither have been severely harm. Some thought the race would by no means resume and the monitor could have been broken, however they have been in a position to get again underway after a two-hour cleanup course of. 

“Nasty, soiled driving!”

In 2007, the NASCAR Xfinity Collection was racing at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico (which may also 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 acquired 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 beneath 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 beneath braking into Flip 1. The move caught and he drove off into the gap.

It was very shut on gas, however he managed to have sufficient within the tank for the run to the end. He known as it a “big 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 highway programs to oval-heavy NASCAR, Montoya was one of many extra spectacular adapters. One monitor 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 dashing penalty in the course of the closing pit cease.

JPM couldn’t imagine it. “No method,” 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 crucial spectacular days of his NASCAR profession. 

Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

Photograph by: Michael C. Johnson

Almost coming to blows with ‘Blissful’ 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 acquired into it along with his fellow driver, however none fairly just like the 2007 Cup race at Watkins Glen. Montoya was operating sixth on monitor in a late-race restart. After an aggressive block into Flip 1, he acquired spun by Martin Truex Jr., colliding with Kevin Harvick, and wrecking each automobiles. These two drivers are recognized 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 have been probably 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 acquired punted by Truex, however the future Cup champion wasn’t all in favour of 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 practically 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 whole lot of them and gave away a whole lot of them. It was getting irritating. Everyone will get preventing, however this staff does an incredible 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 rivalry for quite a few race wins all sorts 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.