Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs
Juan Pablo Montoya leaving Formula 1 for NASCAR
McLaren bad boy Juan Pablo Montoya will leave Formula 1 at the end of the 2006 season to drive in NASCAR for his old boss, Chip Ganassi. Somebody get this guy a beer. Despite his impressive open-wheel resume - CART (Champ Car) champion, Indy 500 winner, seven-time F1 winner - Montoya never really settled into the Formula 1 team environment, either with Williams or McLaren, and it looked as though McLaren was set to let him go at the end of the year in any event. With championship-contending seats looking pretty scarce for 2007, Montoya evidently decided to follow the money and return to the U.S.
For his part, F1Racing.net reports a happy Juan Pablo said after the announcement Sunday, "I am so happy to be entering the fastest growing racing league in the world... I know the transition will not be easy but I can't wait to get behind the wheel."
The Colombian will drive the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge in the full Nextel Cup schedule, along with a number of Busch series races. Montoya's seat at McLaren will likely be taken by long-time McLaren protege Lewis Hamilton, currently competing in GP2, although the dominos aren't likely to start falling until Kimi Raikkonen makes his intentions clear.
[Source: F1Racing.net] Thanks to Judd for the tip!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Proud Japanese 7:42AM (7/10/2006)
Time to show them damn Rednecks how it's done.
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sk 7:49AM (7/10/2006)
..."I am so happy to be entering the fastest growing racing league in the world...
What?????
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mooseman 7:54AM (7/10/2006)
If you'll recall last year, Jeff Gordon finished second to Sebastian Loeb in the World Challenge. NASCAR is already chock full of real honest to goodness race car drivers, "Redneck" fans aside.
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spdracerut 8:18AM (7/10/2006)
I think Montoya will just be happy to be able to bang wheels more than once without destroying his car :)
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Ian 8:26AM (7/10/2006)
JPM is a huge driving talent and it will be more F1's loss than anything. This is an important move for the DaimlerChryslerMercedes group in NA. Juan will bring tremendous Hispanic and Latin interest into Nascar. And he will quite likely earn as much money, if not mor in Nascar.
Plus his family seems happiest in the USA.
While Nascar may not be everyones favorite motor sport it is hugely succesful and easily the sector's largest sport in the USA.
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Proud Japanese 8:28AM (7/10/2006)
If he wanted to bang wheels, he should have gone to DTM.
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Rich 8:35AM (7/10/2006)
If this was April 1, I'd feel a lot better about this article.
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RickDom 8:39AM (7/10/2006)
The most important question: Will he go back to just Juan Montoya, or will he still go by Juan Pablo? The extra name in there might confuse NASCAR fans.
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jason 8:45AM (7/10/2006)
"I am so happy to be entering the fastest growing racing league in the world...
(and taking a 75% pay cut)
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MikeInNC 8:47AM (7/10/2006)
I was born in North Carolina and reside about 20 minutes from Lowes Moter Speedway. I've only been to that track to see the few IRL races and the American LeMans series when it was there so, obviously I'm no NASCAR fan.
Montoya was pretty interesting when he first got to F1 but has lost his edge. After getting thoroughly trounced by his teammate in the last two seasons and then taking both team cars out at the second turn at the USGP (which I was sitting right there when it happened), I'm sure his team stock is at an all time low. This gives him the chance to be the big fish again. In F1, it was well known that he wouldn't be the #1 driver at any of the top 3 teams and maybe not at two or three others. I think the timing was right, the team owner was the right duo and he didn't have to take a big paycut to do it. Kudos to him. I wish him well. He'll still have his hands full with Boris Said on the road courses but I expect he will do fine for the team. Who knows...I may actually watch Sears Point or Watkins Glenn next year (along with a few million Columbian fans). There's a first for everything.
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thesawzall 8:54AM (7/10/2006)
Does Colombian count as a Southern accent? Just kidding, this will add an interesting storyline to next years Nextel cup.
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JMa 9:10AM (7/10/2006)
My favourite part of Nascar is when they turn left
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JR 9:39AM (7/10/2006)
Hmm...it must be contagous...
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=1&id=2515044
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epp_b 10:27AM (7/10/2006)
Yeeeehaw!
["My favourite part of Nascar is when they turn left"]
LOL! Good one.
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Tim UF 10:31AM (7/10/2006)
I would think the three name name would be perfect for the classic Bubba Nascar fan (Billy Bob Jones, etc).
In any case, this should give the comedian Carlos Mencia a few minutes of material, heh.
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Jeff Gordon 10:31AM (7/10/2006)
Welcome to NASCAR, JP! Just stay the hell out of my way.
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Ed 10:48AM (7/10/2006)
So did he get too fat to fit in the F1 car? :D
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Crusin' 11:13AM (7/10/2006)
12 & 13, I think you meant right. Anyways, they do actually turn right (twice a year) when they race on road courses!
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Bob 11:53AM (7/10/2006)
Watch out for "The Big Juan"!
(you have to say it out loud to find the funny, and, err, know what "The Big One" means I guess...)
Although I have to say, he might be chubby for F1 but he's an anorexic model compare to say, Tony Stewart.
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samurai 12:29PM (7/10/2006)
Wow its about time. I wonder how much money each F1 will save now that he is off the track. "Impressive open wheel resume"... Ya right.
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