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It's all Jeff Gordon's fault. If it wasn't for Jeff's fascination with those itty bitty Formula One cars at Indianapolis a few years back, Juan Montoya never would have gotten a chance to get in a stock car, and we might not be up to our necks in Montoya Mania right now.
"When I drove Jeff's car, I was really comfortable in it," Montoya said. "I was talking to Chip [Ganassi] about it and it really motivated me to do the deal.
"I got in it and within three laps on a road course, I was up to speed. I thought it felt good."
So there we were last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, smooshed like a Twinkie in a little kid's fist, waiting for this famous former open-wheel driver to enter the media room.
We correctly assumed he'd respond condescendingly to admittedly stupid questions, complain about the whole testing process and generally act as if he would rather be somewhere else, like having a nap after competing in an endurance race on the other side of the continent the day before.
But after Tony Stewart left, in came Smilin' Johnny Montoya, the All-(South) American Boy.
The suavest spokesman for Dodge since Ricardo Montalban peddled Chrysler Cordobas and their "fine Corinthian leather," Montoya was positively charming, the opposite of the stereotypical international racer -- stunning for a guy who supposedly wore out his welcome in Formula One.
Proof that there truly is a Colombia school of broadcasting, Montoya deftly fielded all media questions -- answering some in English, others in Spanish, translating answers from English to Spanish and then Spanish to English.
About the only thing he didn't do was translate for Ward Burton, which in all probably would have been like that I Love Lucy episode where Desi Arnaz meets Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Ward: "You know, I drive a Monte Carlo."
Juan: "Well, I won a race in Monte Carlo once."
It certainly doesn't help matters that Montoya went out and won the first time he ever ran at Daytona. On one hand, so did Gordon. On the other hand, so did Kyle Petty.
Plus, it's not like a foreign-born driver hasn't won the Daytona 500. Some Italian guy named Mario Andretti did it in 1967, and look what happened to his NASCAR career. He never won another race, and by 1969, he just disappeared.
All joking aside, the pressure -- and the unrealistic hype -- continues to escalate. For some, it's not just if Montoya will win the Daytona 500, but how many times he'll lap the field.
Thankfully, Montoya seems to be one of the few people who understand the reality of what he's getting himself into.
"Am I aiming to win? I'm more aiming to getting the car to the end of the race, to be realistic," Montoya said. "Do we have a shot at it? Am I going to try to win it? Yeah, but I'll be really happy with a top-20, top-15 out of that race."
One good thing could come out of this: a rivalry.
Kurt Busch, who wishes NASCAR fans would point their middle fingers at someone else for a change, had the perfect chance to stoke the fires when he was asked his opinion of Montoya.
He could have said Montoya doesn't like vegetables. Or doesn't change his oil at the recommended intervals. Or prefers cats over dogs.
Instead, Busch took a mighty swing ... and whiffed.
"I'm impressed with Juan. I met him at the Detroit Auto Show when Dodge had us up there together unveiling some new cars," Busch said. "He's very grounded, approachable and humoristic as well."
So here we are, unhumoristically contemplating the unlikely scenario that allows the No. 42 to cross the finish line first in the Daytona 500.
Darrell Waltrip then begins yelling "Bogota, Bogota, Bogota!" followed by gunfire in the streets of Medellin. And if Montoya doesn't win? Same old, same old.
On the other hand, this whole foreign exchange program could work out very nicely.
This year, we take Juan Montoya. Next year, perhaps we send them Jeff Gordon, since he already has some seat time in their cars -- and he already knows how to say DuPont and Chevrolet in French.
"When I drove Jeff's car, I was really comfortable in it," Montoya said. "I was talking to Chip [Ganassi] about it and it really motivated me to do the deal.
"I got in it and within three laps on a road course, I was up to speed. I thought it felt good."
So there we were last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, smooshed like a Twinkie in a little kid's fist, waiting for this famous former open-wheel driver to enter the media room.
We correctly assumed he'd respond condescendingly to admittedly stupid questions, complain about the whole testing process and generally act as if he would rather be somewhere else, like having a nap after competing in an endurance race on the other side of the continent the day before.
But after Tony Stewart left, in came Smilin' Johnny Montoya, the All-(South) American Boy.
The suavest spokesman for Dodge since Ricardo Montalban peddled Chrysler Cordobas and their "fine Corinthian leather," Montoya was positively charming, the opposite of the stereotypical international racer -- stunning for a guy who supposedly wore out his welcome in Formula One.
Proof that there truly is a Colombia school of broadcasting, Montoya deftly fielded all media questions -- answering some in English, others in Spanish, translating answers from English to Spanish and then Spanish to English.
About the only thing he didn't do was translate for Ward Burton, which in all probably would have been like that I Love Lucy episode where Desi Arnaz meets Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Ward: "You know, I drive a Monte Carlo."
Juan: "Well, I won a race in Monte Carlo once."
It certainly doesn't help matters that Montoya went out and won the first time he ever ran at Daytona. On one hand, so did Gordon. On the other hand, so did Kyle Petty.
Plus, it's not like a foreign-born driver hasn't won the Daytona 500. Some Italian guy named Mario Andretti did it in 1967, and look what happened to his NASCAR career. He never won another race, and by 1969, he just disappeared.
All joking aside, the pressure -- and the unrealistic hype -- continues to escalate. For some, it's not just if Montoya will win the Daytona 500, but how many times he'll lap the field.
Thankfully, Montoya seems to be one of the few people who understand the reality of what he's getting himself into.
"Am I aiming to win? I'm more aiming to getting the car to the end of the race, to be realistic," Montoya said. "Do we have a shot at it? Am I going to try to win it? Yeah, but I'll be really happy with a top-20, top-15 out of that race."
One good thing could come out of this: a rivalry.
Kurt Busch, who wishes NASCAR fans would point their middle fingers at someone else for a change, had the perfect chance to stoke the fires when he was asked his opinion of Montoya.
He could have said Montoya doesn't like vegetables. Or doesn't change his oil at the recommended intervals. Or prefers cats over dogs.
Instead, Busch took a mighty swing ... and whiffed.
"I'm impressed with Juan. I met him at the Detroit Auto Show when Dodge had us up there together unveiling some new cars," Busch said. "He's very grounded, approachable and humoristic as well."
So here we are, unhumoristically contemplating the unlikely scenario that allows the No. 42 to cross the finish line first in the Daytona 500.
Darrell Waltrip then begins yelling "Bogota, Bogota, Bogota!" followed by gunfire in the streets of Medellin. And if Montoya doesn't win? Same old, same old.
On the other hand, this whole foreign exchange program could work out very nicely.
This year, we take Juan Montoya. Next year, perhaps we send them Jeff Gordon, since he already has some seat time in their cars -- and he already knows how to say DuPont and Chevrolet in French.
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