Don’t count Montoya out, he’s only at Indianapolis to win
INDIANAPOLIS — Oh, that’s just Juan.
That’s what they say about Juan Pablo Montoya when he doesn’t want to do something, pushes back on a request or simply pretends he can’t hear what he’s been asked.
He is back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for what might be the last time as a driver. He turns 47 in September and is focused on helping develop his son’s career.
So when Montoya turned only two laps in 41 mph winds on “Fast Friday,“and when he lagged behind in practice sessions or logged a disappointing qualifying run, some of his competitors wondered if the Colombian even wants to be in the race.
All of a sudden “that’s just Juan” started shifting to “Juan’s checked out.“
Asked by The Associated Press about fellow competitors assuming Montoya’s not putting forth full effort at Indianapolis, he stared silently out the window of the Chevrolet Camaro shuttling him from an appearance.
“Good for them,” he finally replied. And that was it.
Montoya is an enigma — always has been over a career spanning three-plus decades — in that he does what he wants when he wants. He’s blunt, hardheaded and once was considered one of the best drivers
in the world.
Like that time he showed up at the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2000 and led all but 33 of the 200 laps for the win. Or, just weeks later in the CART race at Michigan, when Montoya went wheelto-wheel with Michael Andretti over nearly a dozen closing laps to win what’s considered one of the greatest duels in American openwheel history.
Montoya moved to Formula One the next season and in just his third race won a game of chicken with Michael Schumacher. Montoya refused to lift while racing for the lead, stubbornness that ran Schumacher off course.
Montoya collected seven F1 victories, winning at Monza, Monaco and Silverstone, before he tired of the politics and called Chip Ganassi to see if there were any seats for him in the United States. Ganassi said sure, come to NASCAR, and Montoya did that for seven seasons and a pair of Cup Series wins.
Then it was back to IndyCar and a return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in 14 years. Montoya finished fifth in his second Indy 500.
The next year? Montoya won in 2015 for his second Indy 500 victory in three career starts.
Montoya’s Indy 500 stat line is unreal: two wins in six starts and only one finish below ninth; he did not finish in 2016 when he was involved in a crash.