CUP: JPM Glad To Be Where He Is

Sprint Cup

CUP: JPM Glad To Be Where He Is

Juan Pablo Montoya has won both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500...

Tom Jensen | Posted May 23, 2009 Charlotte, NC

Juan Pablo Montoya climbs in the #42 Target Chevrolet in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. (Photo: Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Juan Pablo Montoya is the only driver entered in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 500 who has won both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indy 500. But if you think he’d rather be at one of those historic venues this weekend instead of at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, think again.

Montoya will start the Coca-Cola 600 in ninth place in his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet Impala SS. The former CART Series champion said Saturday that Monaco no longer holds any interest for him.

In addition, he said the dearth of passing makes for a dreary show for spectators as well. “Monaco is normally hard to pass,” said Montoya, who finished sixth or better in the final standings in each of his five full seasons in Formula 1. Monaco is impossible. So if the guy gets through the first corner and doesn’t hit anything and has clean pit stops, he's probably going to win the race."

Asked if he’d watch the race, the Colombian expatriate added, “You know, you watch the first five laps and the last five. There's really nothing in between to watch."

As for Indianapolis, where Montoya won in his first visit in 2000, he obviously is pulling for one of team owner Chip Ganassi’s cars, which will be driven this year by Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, who won the Indy 500 in 2008 and ’07, respectively.

"Hopefully a Ganassi car (will win),” Montoya said of Sunday’s Indy 500. “I would think either of those two Target cars. They're always really strong. Talking to Chip, the Penskes were a little bit faster than them in qualifying trim. Helio (Castroneves) really wants to prove a point. At the same time, I think Dario and Dixon both have a good chance, but I would go for Dario this week to be honest.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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