Snapshots from a topsy-turvey career

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Current page

163

Current page

164

Current page

165

Current page

166

Current page

167

Current page

168

Current page

169

Current page

170

Current page

171

Montoya quit a McLaren F1 seat to turn his world on its head.

HIGHS

2007: Early Promise

Montoya’s time in NASCAR might be remembered as seven years of mediocrity, but he showed much promise when he started out. Contesting select Busch Series races as well as the Nextel Cup, he won his first second-tier race at only the seventh attempt, in Mexico City. At mid-season he won his first Cup race at Sears Point, after starting 32nd, and America took note.

He was named Rookie of the Year and it seemed only a matter of time before the one-time Indy 500 winner figured out those ovals.

2009: Making the Chase

Ganassi merged with Earnhardt at the start of 2009, switching from Dodge to Chevy, and Montoya was instantly more competitive. When it came to the cut-off he lay eighth in the standings, making him the first and so far only Ganassi driver to make the Chase for the Cup. He’d scored no wins, but 12 top-10 finishes were enough. He followed it up with pole in New Hampshire and five top-five finishes. After a good run he sat third in the standings, behind Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin, but with no victories he eventually slipped back to eighth.

2010: Victory at the Glen

“Last year,” Montoya said at the time, “we were so hung up on making the Chase that it was all about numbers, it wasn’t about being fast or slow… That freaking win would never come, so it was getting frustrating.” He and Ganassi put that right when NASCAR got to New York. After qualifying third, Montoya engaged in an electrifying duel with former Aussie V8 star Marcos Ambrose, coming out on top after 90 laps at the limit. “He wasn’t giving me anything,” Ambrose said after the race, “I just wore out everything trying to pass him.” Michael Schumacher might recall such feelings.

LOWS

2008: Sophomore Slump

Montoya opened the year with his second Daytona 24 Hours win, but it would be the last time he looked down from a podium that season. Failing spectacularly to build on the promise of 2007, Montoya and Ganassi slipped down the standings. He took a lucky second at Talladega, but only troubled the top 10 twice more and ended the season with an average finishing position of 24th. Still, at least it wasn’t F1. At the end of the season Toro Rosso made overtures, but these were rebuffed. NASCAR’s laid-back climes suited his off-track temperament.

2011: Ryan Newman feud

Montoya might have been perceived as a highly strung former F1 driver by some, but he was more robust than that. He even joked (or did he?) about a “little black book” of drivers that needed to be set straight. During 2011 Montoya engaged in an almighty feud with Stewart-Haas driver Ryan Newman, stemming from the former’s first top-tier race, which ended in a fireball courtesy of the latter. After a ‘mediation’ session in the NASCAR hauler – following multiple wrecks – Montoya allegedly claimed that Newman “hits like a girl”…

2012: Date with a jet dryer

If there’s one incident people will remember about Montoya’s time in NASCAR, it’ll be this. At Daytona he pitted under yellows and was catching the pack. As he came upon two jet dryers, his suspension broke and sent him careering into one of them. The jet’s fuel tank ruptured and, as another car drove over the slick, a spark ignited the lot. One huge explosion later, a shocked, embarrassed and confused Montoya was led to the medical centre. It was symbolic of his seven years in NASCAR: even when he was doing everything right, things could still go spectacularly wrong.

Alex Harmer