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When NASCAR fans think about Juan Pablo Montoya, some think about one term: Jet Dryer. It’s understandable, given the one-in-a-million incident during the 2012 Daytona 500. Still, as Montoya is set to return to NASCAR, we want to take a more analytical look at his career. While his NASCAR career definitely left something to be desired, he has one of the most impressive racing resumes of his generation.
Juan Pablo Montoya’s journey in professional motorsport starts in the late 1990s. He was a quasi-Williams Racing Team development driver during this time. For some perspective on how good Williams was, the team won five Formula One Constructor’s Championships and four F1 Driver’s Championships between 1992 and 1997 with drivers like Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, and Jacques Villeneuve.
In 1999, he joined CART with Chip Ganassi Racing and immediately made his presence felt with seven wins and the Series Championship. While IndyCar was split between CART and the Indy Racing League (IRL) at this time, Montoya still beat out big-name drivers like Dario Franchitti, Paul Tracy, and Michael Andretti for the title.
However, Montoya’s crowning achievement came a year later. In 2000, Ganassi became the first CART team owner to enter the Indianapolis 500 since the ugly split in the mid-1990s.
Montoya dominated the race, leading 167 of 200 laps. When he took the lead on lap 33, he was never passed on track for the lead for the rest of the race, only briefly losing it to Jimmy Vasser under a late caution flag.
Williams quickly swooped in and picked up Montoya following the 2000 season, giving him his first opportunity in Formula One. At the time, F1 was dominated by Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, but Montoya occasionally took it to Schumacher.
Montoya won seven times with 30 podium finishes in 94 F1 starts, and he never finished worse than fifth in the standings between 2002 and 2005, even after he moved to McLaren in 2005.
His crowning achievement came in the spring of 2003 when he won the Monaco Grand Prix. Montoya became only the second driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, joining Graham Hill.
However, halfway through the 2006 season, Montoya abruptly left Formula One. During the Cup Series weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, he announced that he would join the NASCAR ranks full-time starting in 2007. He would drive the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing as Casey Mears moved on to Hendrick Motorsports.
When Montoya reunited with Ganassi, the NASCAR team was not of the same caliber as his IndyCar team at the time. Ganassi was firmly in the “B” tier of NASCAR teams then. It was good enough to get some solid results but not good enough to consistently compete for wins and championships. When Montoya joined, the team hadn’t won a race since 2002.
He made a few starts in late 2006 to prepare for NASCAR. This included two ARCA starts and four Xfinity starts. His Cup Series debut came in the season finale at Homestead, which ended in a fiery crash.
In 2007, he moved to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time while competing part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He won his first stock car race in the Xfinity Series at Mexico City in the spring. While a road course win was a big achievement, he said after the race that he wanted to win on an oval.
In the Cup Series, he had some growing pains. He only recorded six top-10s and finished 20th in points. However, it was good enough to win “Rookie of the Year” over David Ragan. Montoya also took home his first Cup Series win at Sonoma in a fuel mileage race.
After another forgettable season in 2008, Chip Ganassi Racing merged with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, forming “Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.” This preceded Montoya’s best season in the Cup Series.
In 2009, Montoya qualified for the “Chase” for the first time in his career, which, at that time, was simply the top-12 drivers in points after 26 races. After four top-five finishes in the first four Chase races, Montoya was third in points, only 58 points behind the leader, Jimmie Johnson. Montoya was a genuine Championship threat pretty late into the season, but he tapered off and finished eighth in points.
However, he did not win a race in 2009, and the closest he came was one of the most heartbreaking moments in NASCAR history. Montoya led 116 of the first 124 laps in the Brickyard 400, seemingly well on his way to his first oval win and becoming the first driver to win the Brickyard 400 and the Indianapolis 500. Well, a speeding penalty ended Montoya’s chance of winning.
In 2010, despite winning his second career race at Watkins Glen, he regressed, missing the Cup Series Playoffs. 2011 saw him regress even further, and in 2012, he sunk to his lowest NASCAR low.
The season overall was a disappointment as he recorded only two top-10s, a career worst. He also became a meme after a mechanical failure caused him to spin up into a jet dryer under caution during the 2012 Daytona 500. Unfortunately, this is what many fans remember Montoya for.
In 2013, he had a decent season with eight top-10s. He came close to his first oval wins at Richmond and Dover, leading with less than five laps to go in both races. However, after that, he decided to move back to IndyCar and join Team Penske. Kyle Larson would take over the No. 42 car the following year.
Montoya was far from bad in NASCAR, but his results were up-and-down. When he rejoined IndyCar, he regained his winning form. He won four races in three seasons, including his second Indianapolis 500 in 2015.
He briefly returned to NASCAR in 2014, racing in Michigan and Indianapolis. In both races, he finished 15th and 20th, respectively.
However, his post-NASCAR years also proved something about his stock car career. He was never in the best equipment. While Ganassi was far from a bad team, it wasn’t on the level of other teams, and future drivers proved that.
Kyle Larson won only six races in 223 starts for CGR, and he never made a Championship 4. The year after he was ousted from Ganassi and joined Hendrick Motorsports, he won 10 races and his first Cup Series Championship. He made the Championship 4 again in 2023.
Ross Chastain was among the last drivers to race for the team in 2021. He had a forgettable season, finishing 20th in points, but when Trackhouse bought out Ganassi, things turned around. Chastain immediately made the Championship 4 the following season in 2022, becoming the anchor driver at Trackhouse.
While Montoya’s NASCAR career was not great, the drivers who took over for him in the No. 42 car proved that he wasn’t in a perfect situation. However, his success in other racing series, including three Rolex 24 at Daytona wins and four more IMSA wins, which we haven’t touched on yet, showcase his driving ability.
To say he was “Hated” during his NASCAR career might be a bit of an overstatement. However, it might be more fair to say he was one of NASCAR’s most underappreciated drivers. He left the glitz, glamour, and comfort of Formula One and challenged himself to race stock cars. That, in and of itself, deserves respect.
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