Dover International Speedway, site of this weeks NASCAR Sprint Cup AAA 400 race has in the past been a challenge for Juan Pablo Montoya. (Photo: Getty Images)

“I don't even know if we are ready yet,” Montoya said of his team’s championship aspirations. “We are doing the best we can and hopefully we are going to be good enough to at least fight for it. We don't have the experience yet or anything. It's our first Chase, and we just want to make sure we don't leave anything on the table. By the time Miami comes, we want to make sure, you know, we gave our best to make sure we gave ourselves a chance. That's all we can do.”

Indeed this is the first time that Montoya’s co-owner Chip Ganassi, has made it to the Chase. And the team did so in a year when it merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and converted from Dodges to Chevys. It was a tall order, but the team has not missed a beat, with Montoya showing steady improvement, too.

As for his duel at New Hampshire with Martin, Montoya’s emotions have cooled considerably since he angrily stepped out of his car on Sunday. “I think did he an awesome race and he did what he had to do to win the race,” Montoya said of Martin, one of his closest friends in the garage. “I wasn't the happiest guy. … It's fun when you do it to someone else but it's not when they do it to you, but it's part of it.”

This week, Montoya and Pattie will have to get it done at the Dover International Speedway “Monster Mile,” a one-mile concrete oval where he’s struggled in the past. Montoya said he’s ready for the challenge.

“There's no holding back, nothing,” he said. “We have to go. We have to try to go every week. Some weeks are going to be better than others but time to go.”

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

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