NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Martin, Montoya Up Front
Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya will start on the front row for the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 25, 2009   Speedway, IN
Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya will start on the front row for the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. (Photo: Getty Images)
Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya, the top two qualifiers for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, are about as unlike each other as any two NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers can be. But they are two of the most compelling stories of the 2009 season.

Martin is a 50-year-old from Batesville, Ark., with a crewcut and a cut physique that’s the envy of men half his age.

Montoya, a native of Bogota, Columbia, is 16 years younger, a jet-setting former Formula 1 and IndyCar racer who’s won the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indy 500.

Martin has a series-high four Sprint Cup victories this season and has led 414 laps, but he also has had six finishes of 30th or worse.

Montoya hasn’t earned a single top-five finish this year, has led only 17 laps so far in 2009, but has finished 12th or better in six consecutive races.

Martin likes listening to 50 Cent and flying his airplane. Montoya is into his yacht and the South Florida lifestyle.

In Friday’s second practice session, Martin was first, Montoya second. On Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Martin will line up on the pole, and Montoya will be right next to him on the outside of Row 1.

At stake will be not only the chance to win one of NASCAR's biggest and richest races, but down the road a shot at a Sprint Cup championship. Montoya heads into the race ninth in points, just 36 points ahead of 13th-place Greg Biffle, while Martin is 11th, just 11 markers up on Biffle.

With just seven races left until the top 12 in points are locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, neither man can afford to be overly aggressive in Sunday’s race. As much as they’d like to race the wheels off of each other, they have to be more concerned about points this time of the year.

“You’ve got to be smart,” said Montoya. “It’s all about the championship right now and to be able to be part of it and compete for it. You’ve got to be smart. You don’t have to win the race to get in the Chase. We have to finish every race. I think if we can finish 15th or better the next seven races we should be in the Chase.”

“For me, it’s fairly much the same as my entire career,” said Martin. “(Dick) Trickle taught me in 1977 that in order to finish first, first you must finish.”

As for Montoya’s conservative philosophy, Martin added: “I understand what Juan Pablo is saying and it reflects in his racing. He’s one of the best race-car drivers I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”

Make no mistake, though: Martin is proud of becoming the oldest driver in history to win a pole for any major race at IMS: “I like making history,” Martin said. “That’s cool.”

What remains to be seen is whether either man can make more history on Sunday.

Martin wouldn’t even predict his chances on Sunday, but he did allow as to how he’s looking forward to strapping into his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and having at it with Montoya and the rest of the field.

“There is nobody in NASCAR having more fun than me,” Martin said. “And ultimately, that’s what it’s about.”

Complete Qualifying Results from FOXSports.com



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

tom_jensen's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.