When will Montoya go from dark horse to legitimate contender?

Montoya and his #42 are running their best, when it really counts AP Photo/Mary Schualm

With his third top five finish in the first three 2009 Chase races, Juan Montoya has served notice to the entire NASCAR world that he is for real. No longer can we call this a fluke, no longer is it a great run, now it is a notice that he and his team are here to make a serious run at the Sprint Cup title. However his performance still feels a little short of serious contender.

Until Juan can win on an oval track, he is going to be known as a road racer, an F-1 transplant who came to NASCAR seeking more money and more fame. While he is a great race car driver, until that first oval win comes many will not consider him a great NASCAR driver.

It is really too bad, cause this playoff run by Montoya is nothing short of incredible. On the season Juan has five top five finishes, and three of them have come in the three chase races. Talk about stepping up to the plate, Montoya and Crew Chief Brian Pattie are running their best when it really counts.

It is really too bad this isn’t a bigger story; Montoya is a great character that could bring more people to the NASCAR world. If he didn’t have such a heavy accent, I would have thought it was Dale Sr. on his team communications today. Montoya is unafraid to call out his crew about the way his car drives and he does it in really funny ways.

This is the second time this season, while listening to Montoya’s team communications; he has made me outright laugh. Sure this is a serious sport, with big money behind it, but for my money Juan makes it a whole lot more enjoyable.