CUP: Juan Frustrating Finish For Montoya

Sprint Cup

CUP: Juan Frustrating Finish For Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya led 116 of the first 125 laps in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but finished 11th...

Tom Jensen | Posted July 26, 2009 Speedway, IN

Juan Pablo Montoya led 116 of the first 125 laps in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but finished 11th. (Getty Images)

All weekend long, Juan Pablo Montoya had talked about going points racing again, playing it safe in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard the same way he had in amassing six consecutive finishes between sixth and 12th place over the prior six NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

But once the green flag fell, the Colombian did exactly what he did at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2000, when he won the Indianapolis 500: Utterly dominate and demoralize the field.

Montoya led 167 of 200 laps in winning the 2000 Indy 500, and on Sunday, his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet Impala SS was out front for 116 of the first 125 laps, apparently headed for a NASCAR victory as easy as his IndyCar win nine years earlier.

Alas, déjà vu all over again was not to be for the expatriate Colombian.

On his final green-flag pit stop on Lap 126, Montoya was caught being too fast exiting pit road. Instead of a dominating victory, Montoya ended up a heartbreaking 11th.

“It kind of sucks,” said Montoya, who coming into this race had only led a total of 57 laps in 92 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup starts. “But it is what it is. I thought I wasn’t speeding. I was on the lights every time. It is what it is. We haven’t had to deal with that before. Once it happens, you can’t change it. It’s pretty frustrating.”

Montoya said his Chevrolet was every bit as good today as his open-wheel racer was here in 2000. “Actually, it reminded me of the last time I led here,” said Montoya. “It was kind of easy, to be honest. I was cruising. I was super fast.”

At least Montoya didn’t pay a big penalty in points. With six races to go until the field is set for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, he has a 100-point margin over 13th-place David Reutimann, as he appears headed for a Chase spot for the first time.

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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