-
Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Sprint Cup
CUP: Montoya Masters Short Game, Climbs To Top
Juan Pablo Montoya is not often confused with the game of golf...
Juan Pablo Montoya made NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup for the first time in 2009. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Juan Pablo Montoya is not often confused with the game of golf. But according to team co-owner Chip Ganassi, Montoya’s breakout season in 2009 had a lot to do with pitching and putting as well as hitting long drives.
“Juan has learned the game of golf,” said Ganassi, whose driver made the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship for the first time this year. “He’s understanding there’s a difference between the game of golf and a long drive contest. Some formula-car races are more like a long drive contest and NASCAR is more like golf.”
The first driver to make a successful transition from Formula One to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, Montoya has never lacked for car control or the desire to get to the front. His effort paid off in 2009 with seven top-five finishes and a near-miss in the Brickyard 400, where a pit road speeding penalty interrupted a dominant performance.
When his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy entries were not front-runners, Montoya concentrated on the points finishes necessary to making the Chase. That’s harder than it looks according to his team co-owner.
“You have to know when to push and when not to, when to get more out of your equipment,” said Ganassi. “You have a constantly changing field of play. He’s learned the intricacies of that. It takes a while to learn how to do.”
During the Chase, Montoya declared himself satisfied with his season, despite the fact he was still looking for his first victory on an oval after winning on the road course in Sonoma in his rookie year in 2007.
“Overall I think it’s been a great season,” said Montoya, who added that he was often a late-season contender versus the sport’s most dominant team at Hendrick Motorsports. “I think we’re a lot better than what anybody expected,” he said.
That was not necessarily a surprise to Brian Pattie, Montoya’s crew chief. Ganassi had been trying to convince Pattie to move up to the Sprint Cup from the Nationwide Series, where he was the crew chief for 19 poles and 18 victories while at Nemco Motorsports and Ganassi. But Pattie turned down the offer of a promotion from Ganassi in order to spend time on Sundays with his wife and four children.
Ultimately, the prospect of working with Montoya helped lure Pattie into the Sprint Cup early last season, when he took over from Donnie Wingo in the season’s 12th race.
“Juan has tremendous car control,” said Pattie. “He’s smarter than most people think about the cars. He’s got instincts that very few have as far as knowing what to do and when to do it.”
In his third Sprint Cup season, the Colombian experienced the joys of running in the lead draft regularly.
“When you run up front, people have really good race cars and get to the front easier,” said Montoya, who led 388 laps. “If you make a change and it doesn’t work you’re confident enough that your car is good enough that you can give people a little more room. When you are running like 18th or 20th you’re at the point if it goes green for a long time you can get a lot (of positions). So you’ve got to get going all the time and it’s a little harder. Just a different perspective.”
The perspective has been different this year for the No. 42 EGR team in no small part due to the arrival of Pattie. It was Pattie who set the tone by establishing the criteria for making the Chase.
“The average finish was set actually in the middle of January,” said Pattie. “I’m a math guy. We looked at the last 10 years of history and figured where your average finish needed to be in the top 12. It was simple math to me. It somewhat equaled 14.0.”
Known for his no-nonsense, disciplined approach, Pattie altered the criteria from week to week in order to sustain an average finish of at least 14th.
“Based on our average finish of the year, we went into each race trying to change our number,” said Pattie, “trying to get that number back up. With 10 races to go before the Chase we said we needed top-10’s, top-12’s. So it was there from day one.”
At mid-season, Montoya began to publicly acknowledge his team was “points racing” instead of looking to win each race. That put him in a unique category in a sport where hustling points is tantamount to being afraid to fight. Known for cocksure, sometimes impetuous close-quarters racing from the outset, Montoya didn’t need to make apologies for concentrating on points.
His reputation, which includes victories at the Indy 500 and in seven F1 races, was less about the credentials he brought into NASCAR and more about his aggressiveness. Some of his open-wheel contemporaries have brought excellent report cards to the Sprint Cup, but have had trouble making the grade in stock cars.
“Juan has learned the game of golf,” said Ganassi, whose driver made the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship for the first time this year. “He’s understanding there’s a difference between the game of golf and a long drive contest. Some formula-car races are more like a long drive contest and NASCAR is more like golf.”
The first driver to make a successful transition from Formula One to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, Montoya has never lacked for car control or the desire to get to the front. His effort paid off in 2009 with seven top-five finishes and a near-miss in the Brickyard 400, where a pit road speeding penalty interrupted a dominant performance.
When his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy entries were not front-runners, Montoya concentrated on the points finishes necessary to making the Chase. That’s harder than it looks according to his team co-owner.
“You have to know when to push and when not to, when to get more out of your equipment,” said Ganassi. “You have a constantly changing field of play. He’s learned the intricacies of that. It takes a while to learn how to do.”
During the Chase, Montoya declared himself satisfied with his season, despite the fact he was still looking for his first victory on an oval after winning on the road course in Sonoma in his rookie year in 2007.
“Overall I think it’s been a great season,” said Montoya, who added that he was often a late-season contender versus the sport’s most dominant team at Hendrick Motorsports. “I think we’re a lot better than what anybody expected,” he said.
That was not necessarily a surprise to Brian Pattie, Montoya’s crew chief. Ganassi had been trying to convince Pattie to move up to the Sprint Cup from the Nationwide Series, where he was the crew chief for 19 poles and 18 victories while at Nemco Motorsports and Ganassi. But Pattie turned down the offer of a promotion from Ganassi in order to spend time on Sundays with his wife and four children.
Ultimately, the prospect of working with Montoya helped lure Pattie into the Sprint Cup early last season, when he took over from Donnie Wingo in the season’s 12th race.
“Juan has tremendous car control,” said Pattie. “He’s smarter than most people think about the cars. He’s got instincts that very few have as far as knowing what to do and when to do it.”
In his third Sprint Cup season, the Colombian experienced the joys of running in the lead draft regularly.
“When you run up front, people have really good race cars and get to the front easier,” said Montoya, who led 388 laps. “If you make a change and it doesn’t work you’re confident enough that your car is good enough that you can give people a little more room. When you are running like 18th or 20th you’re at the point if it goes green for a long time you can get a lot (of positions). So you’ve got to get going all the time and it’s a little harder. Just a different perspective.”
The perspective has been different this year for the No. 42 EGR team in no small part due to the arrival of Pattie. It was Pattie who set the tone by establishing the criteria for making the Chase.
“The average finish was set actually in the middle of January,” said Pattie. “I’m a math guy. We looked at the last 10 years of history and figured where your average finish needed to be in the top 12. It was simple math to me. It somewhat equaled 14.0.”
Known for his no-nonsense, disciplined approach, Pattie altered the criteria from week to week in order to sustain an average finish of at least 14th.
“Based on our average finish of the year, we went into each race trying to change our number,” said Pattie, “trying to get that number back up. With 10 races to go before the Chase we said we needed top-10’s, top-12’s. So it was there from day one.”
At mid-season, Montoya began to publicly acknowledge his team was “points racing” instead of looking to win each race. That put him in a unique category in a sport where hustling points is tantamount to being afraid to fight. Known for cocksure, sometimes impetuous close-quarters racing from the outset, Montoya didn’t need to make apologies for concentrating on points.
His reputation, which includes victories at the Indy 500 and in seven F1 races, was less about the credentials he brought into NASCAR and more about his aggressiveness. Some of his open-wheel contemporaries have brought excellent report cards to the Sprint Cup, but have had trouble making the grade in stock cars.
Shake and Bake: Recent Posts
-
Charlotte TV Schedule: Coca-Cola 600 Weekend »
-
Don't Act Like You're Not Going To Buy This Miss Sprint Cup Collectible Car »
-
Jimmy's Take: 150 MPH Pit Stops, Bruton Smith & Remembering Dick Trickle »
-
All-Star In-Car Highlights: Rowdy - "Imagine That. Mr. (Expletive) 5-Time Walking Away" »
-
NASCAR Fan Uses Driver Numbers To Win $1 Million Lottery Jackpot »
-
Johnson & Kahne Are The Drivers To Beat This Weekend (Video) »
-
GIF It Up: Stenica Hairstyling & Champagne Shower »
-
Is Bruton Smith Really Moving The Fall Charlotte Race To Vegas? »
2013 All Star Race
LATEST HEADLINES: NASCAR
-
CUP: Patrick Refuses To Be Danica Downer
Danica Patrick has finished 25th or worse in nine of 11 NASCAR Sprint… -
SPEED Quotes: Joy, Petty, Hammond Discuss 2014 Hall Inductees
SPEED's NASCAR experts analyze the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2014...… -
CUP: 2014 NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class A Family Affair
Dale Jarrett will join his father Ned in the NASCAR Hall of Fame...… -
CUP: Tim Flock, Maurice Petty Lead 2014 Hall Class
Tim Flock and Maurice Petty were two of five legends voted into the… -
HAMMOND: Consistent Bowyer A Title Contender
Clint Bowyer finished runner-up in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points… -
CUP: Kenseth Wins Q1 DOTY Honors
Matt Kenseth has three victories already this season… -
CUP: Charlotte, Bruton Smith Ramp Up Vegas Talk
Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith is interested in possibly… - More News
