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 @ Jul 10th 2006 7:42AM
Time to show them damn Rednecks how it's done.
sk @ Jul 10th 2006 7:49AM
..."I am so happy to be entering the fastest growing racing league in the world...
What?????
mooseman @ Jul 10th 2006 7:54AM
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.
spdracerut @ Jul 10th 2006 8:18AM
I think Montoya will just be happy to be able to bang wheels more than once without destroying his car :)
Ian @ Jul 10th 2006 8:26AM
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.
Proud Japanese @ Jul 10th 2006 8:28AM
If he wanted to bang wheels, he should have gone to DTM.
Rich @ Jul 10th 2006 8:35AM
If this was April 1, I'd feel a lot better about this article.
RickDom @ Jul 10th 2006 8:39AM
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.
jason @ Jul 10th 2006 8:45AM
"I am so happy to be entering the fastest growing racing league in the world...
(and taking a 75% pay cut)
MikeInNC @ Jul 10th 2006 8:47AM
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.
thesawzall @ Jul 10th 2006 8:54AM
Does Colombian count as a Southern accent? Just kidding, this will add an interesting storyline to next years Nextel cup.
JMa @ Jul 10th 2006 9:10AM
My favourite part of Nascar is when they turn left
JR @ Jul 10th 2006 9:39AM
Hmm...it must be contagous...
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=1&id=2515044
epp_b @ Jul 10th 2006 10:27AM
Yeeeehaw!
["My favourite part of Nascar is when they turn left"]
LOL! Good one.
Tim UF @ Jul 10th 2006 10:31AM
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.
Jeff Gordon @ Jul 10th 2006 10:31AM
Welcome to NASCAR, JP! Just stay the hell out of my way.
Ed @ Jul 10th 2006 10:48AM
So did he get too fat to fit in the F1 car? :D
Crusin' @ Jul 10th 2006 11:13AM
12 & 13, I think you meant right. Anyways, they do actually turn right (twice a year) when they race on road courses!
Bob @ Jul 10th 2006 11:53AM
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.
samurai @ Jul 10th 2006 12:29PM
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.