Angry Race Fan

As the biggest Juan Pablo Montoya fan on the face of the earth, this is going to hurt me a lot more than it hurts him. And that is part of the problem.

I realize some bloggers think they are journalists and they have to maintain a level of objectivity. I am not one of those people. I have opinions and I express them, and while I think I am the most objective person I know; I hate Kyle Busch and love Juan Pablo Montoya. I love Montoya more than I hate Kyle Busch in fact, which puts JPM in the category above my dog, but below my children. My wife still tells the story of when my buddy called me to tell me that Juan was coming to NASCAR, and I am quoted as saying, “dude, you just gave me chills.”  I’m not proud of that fact by the way.

I would have rather heard he was coming back to Indycar, but NASCAR was good enough. He was under appreciated in F1 anyhow. Then came the Grand-Am 24 hour of Daytona involvement and overall win. It was almost perfect. But he didn’t dominate in NASCAR; not with any frequency. He showed moments of great car control. He got three Nationwide and Sprint cup wins combined on road courses.

This weekend the Sprint Cup cars at back on a road course, and if Montoya has any shot of making the Chase, he needs to win this weekend at Sonoma. Montoya has the talent to be competing for a Cup championship. I realize he isn’t driving a Hendrick or Roush-Fenway rig, so he’s at a disadvantage, but he should be having more success than he has.

When Montoya came to NASCAR he talked about how great a series it is for a family man. Compared to F1, I’m sure he’s right. Apparently if you follow his twitter, it is also a great series for aspiring amateur-celebrity golfers, radio control airplanes, and windsurfing. Don’t get me wrong, dude has a right to have a good time; and he’s earned it. But I don’t see the hunger, or tenacity of a Kyle Busch, or even a Jimmie Johnson in this guy. It is hard to imagine the success he could have with their motivation.

Now is the time for Juan to cement his legacy.  I believe Juan is a free agent at the end of this year.  I would love to see him in a Gibbs car, or a Roush car.  That won’t happen, but it sure would aid his cementing.  He has young kids that he appears to take an involvement with. As a person in a similar situation I can appreciate how it can take away somewhat from your professional career. No one will argue that JPM isn’t one of the all time greats. His resume speaks for itself. The NASCAR experiment has gone on long enough that we can give it a grade. It is definitely a disappointment, just like my college career. I’d give him a C- at this point.  An A for leisure activities and enjoying all that racing can afford someone in his position though

Montoya

.  Which given my track record, is probably what I would do as well.  Still in this position I get to throw stones.  So lob away I will.