Montoya makes NASCAR Sprint All-Star line-up
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldan is probably one of the few drivers alive who has ventured in nearly all forms of motor racing possible on 4 wheels. The Colombian born driver currently drives the number 42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint Cup Series.
Starting racing karts at the very young age of six, Juan Pablo went on to collect many honors on his way to adulthood claiming the CART title in 1999, his rookie year. The following year saw the Colombian winning the 2000 Indy 500 racing for Chip Ganassi in the rival Indy Racing League. 2001 was by far his biggest leap joining the BMW Williams team in competitive Formula one racing. Four years later, Montoya joined the McLaren Mercedes team in 2005 which was also his final competitive year in F1. During his nearly six year stint, Montoya put together an impressive seven chequered flags in pole, 30 podium finishes and 13 pole positions (in qualifying). Formula One fans shall remember him for his legendary rivalry with seven time champion Michael Schumacher, few might also be bold enough to admit that he was pretty much the best competition Ferrari had in its monopoly years.
The Nascar Sprint All-star race, formerly known as the Winston until 2004, is a prestigious event which is a race open to race winners – be it as driver or a car owner. The validity of the victory could either be from the present season or the season prior plus the previous ten event winners and past decade's Cup Series champions. Those drivers that managed to be either one of the top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown qualifying race or as a participating race car that have completed the same number of laps as the lead car in the Sprint Showdown and obtain majority votes in a fan vote are also entitled to enter the race.
The past six weeks saw a few additions to the lineup for the 2011 Nascar Sprint All-Star lineup with the likes of prominent figures such as Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya with their wins at Pocono Raceway, Chicagoland Speedway and Watkins Glen International respectively. All three have a shot to win the $ 1 million on offer to the winner of the Nascar Sprint All-Star race which will be held in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Seven time All-Star competitor proves to be a tough hurdle in the path of the Colombian who despite his relatively short career in NASCAR has tasted the event in 2008 off the back of his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Infineon Raceway in the preceding year. Montoya looks all pumped up to test his limits as he himself admitted that NASCAR was a lot more challenging than Formula One by commenting:
“Formula 1 drivers are convinced that they’re so much better than anyone else,” “When I was in F1, every week I was on the podium. It was cool, but is it satisfying? It wasn’t, because it was the most boring races.”
The former BMW Williams and McLaren Mercedes might be right to bash his old profession on some levels. However, a lot has changed in the world of Formula one since the Columbian crossed the border to the NASCAR territory. With a noticeable change in regulations for 2010, many teams in the form of Red Bull Racing, Mercedes GP and Renault has seen a substantial challenge to the might of McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari - plus the track is more crowded than it used to be with the introduction of two more teams.
However, Montoya’s quest for his maiden All-Star victory is set to receive further competition with a number of high-profile drivers such as Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. still to qualify with more than 20 races remaining on the road to the 2011 Nascar Sprint All-Star Race. While increased competition adds to more excitement, it is sincerely hoped that the Colombian is just as hungry for ‘winning’ as his quest to keep boredom away.
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