Quote :

"Montoya to NASCAR? #42? UPDATE: Another big F1 name which very recently surfaced in regard to a possible American move is former open wheel champion and Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, who likely is losing his F1 ride with the Mercedes-McLaren team at the end of this season. In the past few weeks, Montoya's name has been linked to his old boss, Chip Ganassi, who last month told Autosport magazine, "I'd love to have Montoya back. I'd take him in a second," a comment which many had interpreted as having the Colombian take a seat in one of Ganassi's IRL cars. However, according to sources close to Montoya, what the 31-year-old former CART champion really is interested in is Ganassi's soon-to-be vacant #42 Nextel Cup car. Despite never having competed in a Cup car, Montoya did spend some time behind the wheel of Jeff Gordon's Monte Carlo in June 2003. Most observers agree that Montoya did a fine job his first time in a stock car, although he did misjudge the braking power of the much-heavier stock car and overshot the first turn. He went on to run six laps at full speed. Last weekend at the U.S. Grand Prix, Montoya was part of a press conference with DaimlerChrysler chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche [Ask Dr Z], his current boss Ron Dennis and NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham, who helped usher Dodge back into NASCAR. DaimlerChrysler is the manufacturer of both the Dodge and Mercedes Benz brands, and Ganassi, of course, runs Dodges in Nextel Cup. Although staged during the F1 race weekend, the press event was designed to reaffirm DaimlerChrysler's commitment to motorsports and specifically to NASCAR, which it recently has been rumored to be leaving. However, it also provided an excellent opportunity for Montoya to be reintroduced to the American press and linked to NASCAR, as well as to be embraced by DaimlerChrysler's top execs. They see Montoya as a strong link between their company and the Latino audience, especially in regard to a series like Nextel Cup. Should Montoya take up residence with Ganassi's NASCAR team, he would replace another former open wheel racer in Casey Mears, who heads to Hendrick Motorsports next season.(in part from Yahoo Sports) MORE: been told that Montoya has been signed by Ganassi to take over the #42 Dodge in 2007 and will run a few Busch Series races this year. UPDATE: Juan Pablo Montoya is leaving the elite Formula One series at the end of the season, bringing star power and international appeal to NASCAR. The Colombian driver will reunite with team owner Chip Ganassi, with whom he had considerable success in Indy-style racing before moving up to Formula One in 2001. Montoya joined Ganassi at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday morning, meeting with his new crew members and attending a closed-door meeting with NASCAR president Mike Helton and other series officials. Ganassi said Montoya will drive the #42 car full-time next season, but may enter selected Busch Series this year after he finishes the F1 season with the McLaren-Mercedes team. Montoya, who won a CART series championship in 1999 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 with Ganassi, will replace Casey Mears, who will drive for Hendrick Motorsports next season.(Associated Press)(7-9-2006) "

7/9/2006 1:39:27 PM

7/9/2006 1:50:37 PM

eh, i guess it'll be good for the "sport", but i have a feeling he'll end up on the robby gordon end of the spectrum rather than the tony stewart end.

7/9/2006 1:51:03 PM

Nascar > F1

...haha

7/9/2006 2:05:48 PM

actually, no good team in f1 wanted to give him a ride because he hasn't proven to be fast enough and crashes too often, and there are too many up and coming drivers that show more promise and better lap times than montoya has been showing the past year or two.

7/9/2006 2:09:21 PM

stop trying to justify it to yourself......just accept it....the monster marketing machine that is Nascar, rules the world (at least North America anyways)

7/9/2006 2:54:51 PM

That doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Montoya would make WAY more even driving for the worst team in F1 than he would driving for Ganassi or any top team in NASCAR.

7/9/2006 4:49:53 PM

haha F1 fags

7/9/2006 8:01:34 PM

7/9/2006 8:04:50 PM

and what is funny is he wont be worth a damn in NASCAR

7/9/2006 8:11:20 PM

Now that is interesting... where's the pic of Gordon and an F1 car side by side? My understanding is that they traded cars on timed laps and were w/i a second of each other (obviously the F1 car was faster)... but it proves a good driver is a good driver. I'm not a Gordon fan but I respect that, and i wish I could remember the F1 driver who was hangin' with the Rainbow Warrior.

7/10/2006 1:17:40 AM

Quote :

"actually, no good team in f1 wanted to give him a ride because he hasn't proven to be fast enough and crashes too often, and there are too many up and coming drivers that show more promise and better lap times than montoya has been showing the past year or two."

yep.

david coulthard has been having a shitting season too. i hope he continues to decline.

^ gordon and montoya swapped cars. gordon has alot of road course experience, as does tony stewart, and he only went into nascar because of circumstancial events. the special was run on speed channel and i watched. i remember gordon running off the track in the infield on one of his laps in the f1 car. and he wasn't within 1 second of montoya's time. he was like 5 seconds off (which is a substantial margin). still, that's very respectable considering that was, reportedly, gordon's first time in a formula car. the biggest thing to consider here is that they weren't driving in race conditions - with opponents. going around an oval with other cars around you is cake walk compared to going around a roadcourse in an open wheeled car with opponents around you.

[Edited on July 10, 2006 at 3:02 AM. Reason : ]

7/10/2006 2:52:05 AM

7/10/2006 2:59:40 AM

fuck nascar

7/10/2006 8:28:09 AM

Montoya's fans (Colombians) are famous for showing up at the track when F1 is in North America. Can't wait to watch Daytona and see Johnny from Georgia sitting next to a bunch of flag-waving Colombians.

7/10/2006 9:15:32 AM

I guess Juan Pablo got tired of being the number 2 driver on a team. If Kimi goes to Ferrari like the speculation has been, he might have been able to finagle himself to the number 1 at McLaren.

7/10/2006 9:39:06 AM

Internet rumors say that Montoya wasn't offered a new contract by McLaren. He was offered a seat at Williams but declined it.

7/10/2006 9:49:22 AM

Montoya isn't certified to run on the superspeedways, so he's going to have to run some races this season. Ganassi hasn't done well as an organization in NASCAR this season, so I kind of think it may be difficult for him to qualify and perform to a standard in which NASCAR will allow him to drive in February.
Then, on the other hand, NASCAR is so in love with the idea of a Hispanic owner/Hispanic driver combination, and its "Drive for Diversity" incentives, that they will bend over backwards to get him certified.
Either way, I don't like Ganasty.

7/10/2006 10:34:20 AM

Anyone who can pass rookie orientation at Indy can pass superspeedway certification. It's a cake walk compared to RO.

There's a reason that so many open wheel stars move to NASCAR and do well. Anyone who can handle an open wheel car can handle a lump of lead that doesn't stop and doesn't turn without much trouble.

BTW, I really loved Mike Helton's announcement yesterday that NASCAR is going to start punishing anyone who has a good idea related to the race car.

[Edited on July 10, 2006 at 11:08 AM. Reason : y]

7/10/2006 10:46:38 AM

^^

He's gone 235 around California Speedway. You think he wouldn't be able to do 175 there?

As far as the diversity initiative, I agree that NASCAR are falling over backward for it. Montoya coming is isn't going to do a thing for them though. They think if they bring in Montoya (a Hispanic) that that will make Hispanics come more toward NASCAR. The problem is: NASCAR is courting Hispanics, but that really means Mexicans. Montoya is Colombian. Mexicans are not going to support Montoya, and have not done so in the past.

It's going to make Stremme (36th in points) and Sorenson somewhat (21st in points, he gets less blame but still some) get their act together. It's obvious by now they only got their ride cause they're pleasing to a camera. There's no reason they should be out-performed by Montoya next year, a guy whose only time in a car with a roof over his head was IROC. And if they do get out-performed by Montoya, they should be swift-kicked out of NASCAR for good. Not dissing Montoya with that comment, but maybe him coming in can help send a signal to a couple pretty boys that have never accomplished anything their career and somehow got a Cup ride.

[Edited on July 10, 2006 at 11:08 AM. Reason : .]

7/10/2006 10:55:56 AM

Quote :

"I guess Juan Pablo got tired of being the number 2 driver on a team. If Kimi goes to Ferrari like the speculation has been, he might have been able to finagle himself to the number 1 at McLaren."

alonso was pretty much guaranteed the #1 seat if/when kimi left. No way Montoya was going to get the #1 over the 2 time defending world champion.

7/10/2006 12:16:08 PM

Quote :

"stop trying to justify it to yourself......just accept it....the monster marketing machine that is Nascar, rules the world (at least North America anyways)"

idiot. from a global point of view F1>>>>>>>>NASCAR.

7/10/2006 1:15:44 PM

Quote :

"BTW, I really loved Mike Helton's announcement yesterday that NASCAR is going to start punishing anyone who has a good idea related to the race car."

IROC.

7/10/2006 1:15:57 PM

^^^^ in a ganassi stock car? 175? he'll be lucky if he makes a complete lap at any rate of speed.

7/10/2006 4:47:01 PM

^ I'll bet you any amount of money at even odds.

Brent Sherman competed in the Daytona 500 this year and he was in a full-time ride at the time, and that's pretty much the end of "not sure if he can handle a superspeedway" conversation based on driving standards required to drive in NASCAR. Sherman, according to his own personal website "boasts" this for last year:

2005 Having gained the attention of several NASCAR Busch Series team owners, Sherman started 24 races in the series with two different top owners. A ninth-place finish at Talladega and a 13th place finish at the demanding Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte proved his driving prowess.



If NASCAR can let jokes like him, Larry Foyt (this guy was not an open-wheel guy, he was a NASCAR guy), and David Stremme drive, then why not Montoya. Montoya would be better in retirement than these guys in their prime.

[Edited on July 10, 2006 at 4:56 PM. Reason : .]

7/10/2006 4:53:09 PM

Quote :

"^^^^ in a ganassi stock car? 175? he'll be lucky if he makes a complete lap at any rate of speed. "

wow why the hatred.....any jobs open at your team???

7/10/2006 6:31:26 PM

what you guys dont realize is how much more downforce an open wheel car has compared to a stock car. going 215 with 10,000 lbs of downforce is a lot easier than going 175 with 1,000 lbs of downforce.

anyway, JPM has always seemed to be a straight shooter as well as a great driver. yeah, he has been washed up the last two years--he won 3 F1 races last year if I remember correctly.

in saying all that, he has a huge learning curve, but if anyone can do it he can. it'll be a lot better than alex fernandez!

7/10/2006 10:13:03 PM

Quote :

"Could Montoya be dropped from F-1 ride? The Spanish TV station Tele 5, which broadcasts F1 races is reporting that Juan Pablo Montoya may be dropped by McLaren and replaced for the rest of the year by Pedro de la Rosa. There is a certain amount of logic in all of this as Montoya wants to start preparations to go into NASCAR as soon as he can. The key point in all this is that McLaren is partially-owned by DaimlerChrysler and Montoya will be driving next year in a Dodge, an American brand also owned by DaimlerChrysler. Thus it makes sense for let Montoya get on with his new project and not force him to stay on racing in a series where he has no future and little to gain. All that is really needed is some kind of a financial settlement. De la Rosa should be able to score points, as he did when Montoya was out with injury last year, and he is sure to be highly motivated as he wants to convince the team that he is the best man to be Fernando Alonso's team mate next year.(grandprix.com)(7-10-2006) "

7/10/2006 11:02:54 PM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/racing/07/10/danica.nascar/index.html
Danica Patrick is apparenty eyeing a move to NASCAR as well.

7/10/2006 11:32:15 PM

i'm not working for a team right now ... we're doing some consulting stuff to JR Motorsports, but i never go to the track any more.
no real hate for Ganasty...just no real love either.

my point about getting certification though, is that i don't really think ganassi can produce a fourth car for him to qualify successfully in a cup race in order for him to run a cup race this season. i don't think stremme is that bad of a driver, personally, reed either, and both of them have struggled this season. i worked with him for a while and he made the best of what i thought was a bad situation. granted competition wasn't as tough in the busch series in '05, as it is in cup, but both stremme and reed did well last year.
montoya will do ok in the second busch car if he's working with brad parrot. brad usually does well, in my opinion. ...or, since the team has given up on the driver championship in the busch series, they could put him in the seat with a guaranteed spot based on points and pot him in the 41. his certification will likely be in the busch series, with few attempts in a cup car.

but what was said about brent sherman, yeah, he proved to be a joke -- but so is bam racing. that whole deal was for money - he brought sponsorship. he had a lot of stock car experience prior to running in the busch series, and moving to cup though, so there was no question about superspeedway experience.
admittedly, i don't know much about the aerodynamics of an F1 car, but i can only imagine that it's nothing like running inches a part for four hours at daytona, kmrodden is saying.

7/11/2006 9:39:39 AM

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/28404/

Juan Montoya out at McLaren, McLaren's test driver Pedro de la Rosa in, starting at the upcoming French Grand Prix in Magny-Cours.

[Edited on July 11, 2006 at 10:49 AM. Reason : .]

7/11/2006 10:47:03 AM

^ beat me to it

http://cbs.sportsline.com/autoracing/story/9549478

7/11/2006 11:00:16 AM

While it's true that inches apart for hours in the Snoozercracker 400 is nothing like an F1 race, there's a reason that there's only one American driver in F1, and it ain't European bias. The skill of drivers in most domestic American racing series just doesn't match up. Look at Nigel Mansell. He came to CART from F1 and won the championship without ever breaking a sweat. Granted, he had a great car, but no one even challenged him.

I'm not a fan of Montoya in the slightest, but he is/was an F1 driver because he's one of the world's best. Even with mediocre equipment, he'll do well. There's no precedent to go on here. Michael Andretti was a great CART driver and could hardly even finish the first lap of an F1 race, so to point at Robby Gordon, who's a mediocre open wheel driver, and say that he's part of the spectrum Montoya is on is ludicrous.

7/11/2006 5:36:36 PM

Quote :

"While it's true that inches apart for hours in the Snoozercracker 400 is nothing like an F1 race, there's a reason that there's only one American driver in F1, and it ain't European bias. The skill of drivers in most domestic American racing series just doesn't match up. Look at Nigel Mansell. He came to CART from F1 and won the championship without ever breaking a sweat. Granted, he had a great car, but no one even challenged him. "

you ever realize that 99% of american drivers dont care or even want to drive that shit....you uppidty ass people that try to belittle nascar really get on my fucking nerves....go watch your boring ass races at 3am on sunday morning and shut up.....maybe a ferrari will win again......you should be asleep when my races come on....

7/11/2006 8:31:54 PM

yes, turning and skill= boring. but turning left in a goddamned oval for hours =the pinnacle of racing.

our fault.

7/11/2006 8:41:49 PM

when ESPN picks up F1 and shows that shit primetime then you can say shit....

7/11/2006 8:44:19 PM

having watched both, I can tolerate most open-wheel racing since theres a lot more skill, and variety of driving involved.

7/11/2006 8:46:37 PM

i didnt say it didnt take skill or more skill.....as kmrodden said it is 2 completely different driving scenarios so there is no reason for comparison.....you cant just switch them and see who is better in which car....it takes years to develop the skills to drive both styles of cars

7/11/2006 8:50:41 PM

Quote :

"it is 2 completely different driving scenarios so there is no reason for comparison"

why do people pull this shit? If things are different, it's the PERFECT time to compare them.

7/11/2006 8:51:42 PM

what??? well you get a tricycle and ill race a unicycle and whoever is faster is the better driver...

7/11/2006 8:54:16 PM

1. you dont DRIVE bikes
2. When did I say it was all about speed?
3. you missed my point

7/11/2006 8:55:18 PM

ok ill take a bigwheel instead

7/11/2006 8:56:22 PM

Quote :

"you should be asleep when my races come on..."

Eh, we're an endurance racing family, so we'll be racing before your race starts, racing during your race, and racing after your race has been over for 12 hours.



[Edited on July 12, 2006 at 12:18 AM. Reason : tt]

7/12/2006 12:14:50 AM

the only thing i find boring about a F-1 race is...


THERE ISNT A SINGLE MOTHER FUCKING PASS ON THE TRACK AFTER THE FIRST CORNER

lets play follow the mother fucking leader for a few hours


I can't knock sports car racing though, to me that is a lot more exciting than falling asleep watching the same few guys race F-1

there is a reason no american drivers do a F-1 deal, the best racing series in the world are all in North America, why go overseas to race?

7/12/2006 2:25:55 AM

Quote :

"Gordon/Montoya Tradin' Paint Special to be re-aired: The wheels of Juan Pablo Montoya's move to NASCAR may have been put into motion on SPEED back in June of 2003 in the network special, Tradin' Paint. The Columbian Formula One star, and then driver for Frank Williams' factory BMW operation, swapped vehicles with Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports #24 DuPont Chevrolet NASCAR Nextel Cup Series entry at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Friday night, July 14, SPEED will once again air Tradin' Paint at 10:30pm/et, immediately following a replay of Nextel Cup Series qualifying from New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.(Speed Channel PR)(7-12-2006) "

7/12/2006 9:06:20 AM

Quote :

"THERE ISNT A SINGLE MOTHER FUCKING PASS ON THE TRACK AFTER THE FIRST CORNER"

Sounds like Chicagoland this past weekend.

Watch Chicagoland again, and tell me how many lead changes there were that was not by pit stops or Gordon spinning out Kenseth. (you'll be a bit surprised)

Spinning a guy out is not a pass...and F1 don't throw cautions every fifteen minutes to artificially keep the competition close.

Quote :

"there is a reason no american drivers do a F-1 deal, the best racing series in the world are all in North America, why go overseas to race?"

There is an American in F1 this year. His name is Scott Speed.

The reason Americans don't go over to F1 is because no one would give a s*** that they finished 6th in NASCAR championship last year, they would be expected to either give 100% every race or they're fired. There are 30 guys waiting to take your spot in F1 if given the opportunity. In NASCAR, if you lose your ride you can easily find another more often than not. American drivers would rather have an easy Michael Waltrip-style life where you can be a millionaire and finish 30th every week than work yourself up the ladder. If I was them I'd do the same thing, why work hard when you can just drive around, take 20th with no consequence, and get paid well? But it means they're not as good as drivers cause they don't push themselves.

Europe proved itself harder than American racing 13 years ago. The defending CART champion Michael Andretti and the defending Formula One champion Nigel Mansell switched rides (Newman-Haas and McLaren). Andretti made an absolute fool of himself while Mansell won the CART championship as a rookie with ease. I constantly have this argument with my father, a Hoosier that loves USAC. He thinks the reason Europeans dominate open wheel here is cause they get the best rides. I think it's just because they're better because their feeder system is more cutthroat, otherwise they wouldn't have gotten the ride in a series that is crying for a good American driver. The only reason NASCAR do not have any Europeans is because they on purpose created a series where there is no crossover from anywhere else that is similar. It's like telling a basketball player to crossover and play ice hockey.

The money that is there now cannot be ignored. NASCAR fans throw trash on the track when Jeff Gordon wins, what's going to happen if Montoya does? Or Sebastien Bourdais? Or Vitor Meira? I always find NASCAR fans that decry F1 amusing. Seriously dude, look in the mirror. What do you think NASCAR is becoming?

[Edited on July 12, 2006 at 9:26 AM. Reason : .]

7/12/2006 9:22:15 AM

^ you may be correct in the quality of talent

but quality of talent does not always lend to the best racing. Chicagoland was a weak example, not every week is like Chicagoland. You cannot honestly tell me that watching the F-1 guys follow the leader at Monaco is better than watching 500 laps at Bristol, Martinsville, or a race at Darlington

7/12/2006 9:48:55 AM

Bristol and Martinsville are fantastic race tracks, but part of the reason there's so much action is because there are too many cars on a half mile track. When you cram a hell of a lot of fast cars on a short track, you're gonna get action whether you like it or not (see IRL at Richmond).

I can't deny that Monaco is often a follow-the-leader exercise, both due to the narrowness of the track and the nature of F1 in general. However, it's anything but boring. IMO, along with Spa, Elkhart Lake, and some others, the circuit at Monaco is one of the most mesmerizing in the world. I could literally watch a single car drive around it all day long at speed.

The last finish I can remember at Darlington was the Burton/Gordon showdown, and that was a number of seasons ago. Frankly, NASCAR is getting closer and closer to a spec series every day, and it's been getting consistently more boring over the past five years, from the Kulwicki-killer points system to the copycat templates and drivers devoid of personality. Smokey Yunick is spinning full tilt in his grave.

7/12/2006 12:20:16 PM

Quote :

"The last finish I can remember at Darlington was the Burton/Gordon showdown, and that was a number of seasons ago"

Busch/Craven in march 2003....i was there....closest finish in NASCAR history....

7/12/2006 12:48:45 PM

Ah yes, I remember that one now.

7/12/2006 1:02:53 PM