Juan Montoya, born in Columbia, became the first foreign born driver to qualify for the chase Getty Images/Sam Greenwood
This should be a bigger story then it is for several very good reasons. First and foremost having a popular driver, born in another country, in the chase brings in a whole new group of fans to the world of NASCAR. While there are a few Hispanic men making in roads into the world of NASCAR, having Juan Montoya in the chase should bring in more fans that may not have paid attention to NASCAR.
More than that though this is a good story for a few NASCAR owners that could use some good press. This will be Chip Ganassi’s first chase run since he came to NASCAR. This is also the first Chase birth for what was DEI since 2006. Having Montoya and his #42 team in the chase is a great step forward from these two teams that have struggled heavily in recent Sprint Cup seasons.
However, Montoya’s legitimacy within the NASCAR fan base will be in question until he can win on an oval. This has to be his team’s next biggest goal. They did a good job for their team and sponsors by making the chase, an oval win for Montoya cements him as a legitimate NASCAR threat.
Currently Montoya has two wins in NASCAR. One each in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series but, both of those wins came via road course races. Montoya needs to win on an oval to prove to himself and to the NASCAR world that he can.
However he is the driver most hurt by having Atlanta Motor Speedway being taken out of the tracks that feature a Chase Race. By far Atlanta is Montoya’s best oval track, but maybe his team can use what they know for Atlanta and Texas. In 2007 Montoya was able to score a third place finish there, and he is going to need that strong run there to make his chase birth worthwhile.
The Deck is stacked against Montoya in a very big way. Here is a look at his average finish over the ten tracks in the chase:
• Loudon- 20.6
• Dover- 24.0
• Kansas- 24.0
• California- 22.0
• Lowe’s- 27.4
• Martinsville- 12.6
• Talladega- 18.6
• Texas- 20.4
• Phoenix- 21.4
• Homestead- 16.0
Comments