Racing legend Juan Pablo Montoya will be back in NASCAR during this season’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. The Columbian-born driver has made a name for himself in several motorsports competitions including the ‘pinnacle of motorsports’, Formula One. He is also a two-time Indy 500 winner and a three-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner. Montoya also has a couple of race wins in the Cup Series under his belt. The upcoming Watkins Glen race will mark his first competitive start in NASCAR since the 2014 Brickyard 400.
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He might be coming back as a part-time driver but Montoya has a good record at the famed road course. The former F1 star has taken part in seven races at the venue and won in 2010. He has three top-five and five top-10 finishes to his name at the venue. The 48-year-old will be seen driving the #50 Toyota Camry fielded by 23XI Racing. Mobil 1 will be sponsoring the car as a part of their 50th anniversary celebration and this will be their final race in NASCAR this season.
Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole at Watkins Glen in 2012, the last of 9 poles in his NASCAR career and the only one on a road course pic.twitter.com/geVp42ksms
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) August 19, 2023
“I’m looking forward to getting back in a Cup car and racing at Watkins Glen – a track I really enjoy and had the chance to experience earlier in my career,” Montoya said in a media interaction. “The Mobil 1 brand was one of my first sponsors when I started racing, so to represent the brand again as they celebrate this milestone will be so special. I’m also excited to work with 23XI and experience what the team is building.”
Mobil 1 had earlier sponsored the #50 23XI Racing car at COTA and Nashville this year. The drivers on those occasions were Kamui Kobayashi and Corey Heim respectively. Montoya would be hoping to finish higher than they did. Given his fantastic record at The Glen, it would not be a surprise if he was in a position to challenge for the race win.
Montoya’s last Watkins Glen race was impressive
The last time the 48-year-old driver took part in a race at Watkins Glen was 11 years ago. He drove a fantastic race to finish in the top five. The entire weekend was a positive one. Montoya kicked things off with a P4 in first practice, and repeated the same during Happy Hour.
However, his qualifying run fell a bit short as he was only fast enough for a P11 start. Staring on the sixth row, the former Williams F1 star masterfully drove his way through the field and played his strategy right to finish in P5.
Juan Pablo Montoya's last Cup start at Watkins Glen was in August 2013
In 2013, Juan was:
4th fastest in Practice 1
4th fastest in Happy Hour
11th in Qualifying
Finished 5th in the Race pic.twitter.com/lXHaQtb8Ox— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) August 2, 2024
A lot has changed in the sport since his last start. The biggest challenge the part-time 23XI Racing star will face is the new Next Gen Cup car. He has no experience in the modernized variant of a stock car and will need to get used to how it drives. The same can be a challenge for the most experienced drivers.
However, the Next Gen’s traits moving ever closer to what a traditional racecar is, the former IndyCar driver might end up preferring the new car to the one he raced full-time in. It remains to be seen how well Montoya performs once NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen International this season. The event will mark the second race of the Round of 16 during the 2024 postseason.
