June 26, 2007 - Let's face it. Juan Pablo Montoya's former team McLaren is doing extremely well in F1 at the moment, and the F1 "refugee" desperately wants to show something in the Nextel Cup to prove his radical move last year. The grand prix winner left Ron Dennis' outfit in the middle of the season and rejoined his former former boss Chip Ganassi - not in IndyCar, but in NASCAR.
And the Columbian did it on June 24, 2007 after 17 Nextel Cup races, where he took his maiden win in a road course race at Sonoma.
So far, Montoya has somewhat justified his move back in the U.S. In 2007, he won the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona, along with a Busch win in Mexico (another road course race,) and a Nextel Cup victory.
2007 - 24 Hours of Daytona winner with Chip Ganassi Racing.
He finished third twice in the F1 drivers championship - in an era where Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominated the F1 world.
Montoya has won many major races, and I'm certain that the Daytona 500 victory is on his agenda. Too bad he didn't win the United States Grand Prix at Indy before he left F1, or he'd be the only driver realistically have the chance to win all three major races -- Indy 500, Brickyard 400 and the US GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Perhaps he might even try the 24 Hours of Le Mans later in his career, now that's something.
Here's a fact. Montoya's arrival in stock car racing gave NASCAR another major marketing victory. His presence in the series not only brings attention to the South America region, but the European market as well due to his F1 history. If you go to Autosport, a major auto racing source in Europe, you'll see the ever increasing coverage of the Nextel Cup and the Busch Series. Why? Juan Pablo Montoya.
And NASCAR is doing everything to up the sanctioning standards by tightening the rules. It's a way to showcase the world that the series is on par with, let's say F1. It's not there yet outside of the U.S., but who knows?
CHIP GANASSI
A big supporter.
- Photo by: K. Ma/NYAR
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And what about JPM? The guy is as happy as ever. When he moved from Williams to McLaren, I knew it wasn't the right move for the flamboyant Columbian. McLaren Mercedes and Ron Dennis were all about corporate image and marketing excellence, and Juan Pablo was just being Juan Pablo. Disaster was bounded to happen and after "the tennis incident" and "the Indy mess" at the U.S. Grand Prix in 2006, he parted company with McLaren and walked away from F1.
When asked how he ranked his maiden victory at Sonoma, the Columbian said. ""It's huge. I would say right now it's the biggest thing I've done. To get our first win in our first year is huge."
Wait until you get an oval race victory, Juan Pablo.
Regardless, the guy got skills and this is a driver you just want to root for. He might be out of control at times, but you have to appreciate that he is always truthful like a real racer should be.
And to NASCAR, kudos to you for getting an international star to race against the likes of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Montoya is not up there because of his lack of experience, but his all-around skills will put him up there to the top, sooner or later.
I do have one suggestion for Juan, though. Go take part in the Race of Champions in November, and you might be able to beat Michael Schumacher in a saloon car!
