A documentary crew followed him around, he answered numerous questions in Spanish during his media tour, and young drivers called him a racing hero the last time Juan Pablo Montoya raced in NASCAR.
Ten years after his last Cup race, it felt like “Juan’s World” again for the straightforward Colombian, who didn’t achieve the same top-level success in NASCAR as he did in IndyCar, sports cars, and Formula One.
He’s returning with Michael Jordan’s team for a single race this Sunday at Watkins Glen International, with none of the buzz and high expectations that surrounded his NASCAR debut 18 years ago.
“It’s either gonna be, ‘oh, it’s not too bad,’ or I’m gonna go, ‘oh (shoot!)’ We’ll see,” Montoya said.
This kind of sums up Montoya’s career during his seven full seasons in the Cup series, where he drove for Chip Ganassi. There were moments of brilliance—like his win at The Glen in 2010 and seven top-five finishes in 2009, when he was eighth in the season standings—but not enough consistency within the team to make him a true NASCAR championship contender.
These days, Montoya is a podcaster, continues to race sports cars, and mentors his teenage son, Sebastián, who is also pursuing a racing career. Returning to a Cup car wasn’t part of his plans.
“He must have gotten really bored or something,” joked driver Martin Truex Jr.
Not quite, though. Montoya had mostly closed the door on NASCAR until 23XI Racing asked him to drive the No. 50 Toyota for Mobil 1’s 50th anniversary. 23XI, the team owned by Jordan and Denny Hamlin, had run a third car a couple of times this season as part of the collaboration.
Montoya also had a long friendship with 23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta, who was an executive with Chip Ganassi Racing during Montoya’s time with the team, which made the return more appealing.
Those who remember Montoya, who will turn 49 next week, as one of the most skilled, bold, and successful drivers of his time were excited to see him make a brief appearance at The Glen.
“He was the man when I was growing up,” said 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron.
Mexican driver Daniel Suarez said Montoya “broke the mold” and showed foreign drivers that there was a path to NASCAR.
“A lot has changed since he was here,” Suarez said. “A lot.”
He was referring not only to the personal side—Suarez didn’t speak English when he first met Montoya years ago—but also to changes on the track.
The car is different now, and there are new stars, with few familiar faces from Montoya’s last race 10 years ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin were second and third at the Brickyard 10 years ago, but race winners Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Danica Patrick have all retired. The field is generally glad to see him—just as long as Montoya stays out of their way.
Watkins Glen is the second playoff race, and the stakes and emotions are high for drivers competing for the championship. No title contender wants to crash out of the race, especially not because of a road-course expert like Montoya.
“Hopefully he’s nice and respectful of the playoff guys,” Byron said. Montoya said that racing respectfully “is not that hard.”
“I will be nice and respectful of everyone who is nice and respectful to me,” he said with a laugh.
Montoya aims to perform well, and if he’s faster than another driver, he will try to pass them. Few drivers from outside NASCAR have had much of an impact on Montoya.
The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has raced full-time in Formula One, CART, IndyCar, and IMSA. He won the CART championship in 1999, the IMSA championship in 2019, and has triumphed three times in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Montoya has made 12 starts at Watkins Glen across four different series. He won the Cup race at the road course in 2010 and has achieved three top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes in his seven NASCAR starts there.
In NASCAR, Montoya has two wins in 255 starts, both of which were on road courses. He struggled with oval tracks and is often remembered for the dramatic fireball created when he crashed into a jet dryer during the 2012 Daytona 500.
This may not be the end of his NASCAR career. Montoya mentioned that he wouldn’t rule out doing another one-off race with 23XI.
“I would probably say yes,” Montoya said, “but it is Saturday morning, so we will see.”
