THE STRAIGHTAWAY
by Siddy Hall
JUAN MONTOYA’S “JUAN” FAST LEARNER
Drivers typically end up with a NASCAR Nextel ride one of two ways. They either rise through the racing ranks by demonstrating success at lower levels, or they arrive at the top level by nepotism. The most common path is the former. But even that route can have some unusual twists. Juan Pablo Montoya’s leap from Formula One racing to stock car is rare. Steve Kinser once made the jump to NASCAR from the World of Outlaws. In 1994, Kinser competed in the “International Race of Champions”. IROC is the manufactured event where drivers from different styles of racing converge and race in “identical” stock cars. The series is heavily skewered in favor of NASCAR drivers. When Kinser won an event, car owner Kenny Bernstein offered Kinser a ride. That experiment lasted a total of five races.
Montoya’s fifth race, this past weekend in Atlanta was much better than Kinser’s. His fifth place finish stole the show from Jimmie Johnson’s second straight win. Prior to Atlanta, Montoya’s early season performance could be characterized as “problem-free.” He stayed out of trouble, ran his laps and didn’t bottom out which is a decent enough start as he acclimated himself to a heavier car on unfamiliar tracks.
Montoya has cut his learning curve since the move from Formula One
Atlanta looked the same as he ran in the mid-teens through the first half of the event. Slowly, viewers noticed that Montoya was picking up spots. Finally, the cameras focused on the Texaco Havoline 28-car and it was clear that we were watching something different. Montoya ran a line different than everybody else. He kept the car stuck on the outside groove glued to the wall. He probably ran an extra ten miles as he brought his car home fifth.
Montoya’s Busch win in Mexico City earlier this month was impressive but not surprising. Mexico City is after all, a road course which is what Montoya has run his whole life. It became clear after his Mexico City showing that Montoya would be a threat to win either of the two NASCAR road events later this year. His fifth at Atlanta is a signal that once Montoya familiarizes himself with all the NASCAR ovals, he can possibly threaten to compete for the NASCAR title.
WRECKLESS ATLANTA: NASCAR made a mistake running consecutive races on identical tracks. After battling the new pavement of Las Vegas, the normally dangerous and swift Atlanta Motor Speedway seemed like, well, a Sunday Drive. They could’ve run all day without an incident. Only the suspicious “debris” cautions kept this race from going flag-to-flag green.
CELL PHONE WARS: Nextel, the sponsor of the premier series in NASCAR is upset with competitors decorating the car of Robby Gordon. Gordon’s “Motorola” logo was removed and replaced with the logo of an MP3 player. Jeff Burton’s Cingular Wireless machine, the best-looking paint job in NASCAR, is being sued by AT & T. They want their logo on Burton’s 31-car after having purchased Cingular. OK, so what’s the problem? Just remove the decal.
Going loco over a logo: AT & T and Burton's Cingular car
IF JUAN CAN, RICKY CAN: Perhaps the most bizarre of the many strange stories in ’07 is Ginn Racing’s hiring of Motocross racer Ricky Carmichael to its developmental team for future NASCAR racing. Carmichael is regarded as being the most successful Motocross racer ever. This move is becoming even stranger by the week. Carmichael’s first event is this week in Lake City, Florida. Serving as his crew chief will be none other than … NASCAR points leader Mark Martin. Say what!!!??
Well, at least he has "car" in his name: Motocross' Carmichael
Martin, the NASCAR points leader, insists that he will not run a full schedule. He will continue to share the 01-ride with Regan Smith, as originally planned. Ginn Racing, which purchased this team from MB2 Motorsports, has never had a points leader in its 11-year history until now. They are sticking with their plan, however. Martin will forfeit any hope of winning this year’s championship by missing any race.
Meanwhile, rookie Regan Smith will deal with some huge obstacles at Bristol Motor Speedway this week. One, he has to deal with Bristol’s wild track configuration. 36-degree banking on a half-mile track. That’s like driving in a cereal bowl. That’s more banking than Daytona at 2.5 miles. Second, he’ll be dealing with the debut of “The Car of Tomorrow.” He’ll be piloting a new machine on a strange track. The bet here is that Ginn Racing is bluffing. Mark Martin shows up and drives the 01 car this week. They’re just playing with us.
BIG WRECK: NASCAR wrecks can be grouped into different categories. There is the “Blown Right-Front Tire Headfirst into the Wall” wreck. There’s the “T-Bone” special. There’s the “Big One” at the restrictor plate races. There’s also the “Barrel Roll”. These and others can produce devastating car wrecks. It’s been about 17 years since the Michael Waltrip Busch series wreck at Bristol. This crash is generally regarded as one of the most bizarre and scary in NASCAR history. It also defies easy categorizing. It was an unexpected one car occurrence as you can see here.
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