NASIR IS BACK FROM THE DAYTONA 24 HOURS WHERE HE FILLED UP HIS GOODY BAG! SO… THIS WEEKS SPECIAL IS AN INTERVIEW WITH NO OTHER THAN JUAN PABLO MONTOYA!!

He is the only driver to win a CART Series title, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona, all in his first attempt. He is also a former winner of one of the most prestigious races in the world: the Monaco Grand Prix. Legendary racers Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney are the only other drivers besides Montoya that can boast wins in Formula One (F1), CART/IndyCar and NASCAR. As the 38-year-old Montoya re-acclimates himself back to IndyCar racing in 2014, he has an opportunity to add to his impressive racing resume and to Team Penske’s long legacy of success. Montoya was taught the art of motorsports at an early age by his father, Pablo. He quickly began to show promise as he captured four consecutive Colombian National Carting Championships from 1981-1984

After several successful seasons in the Colombia Formula Renault series, Montoya moved to Europe to pursue his dream of competing in F1. In 1997 he finished second in the Formula 3000 series and was signed to a contract as a test driver for the Williams F1 team. After capturing the Formula 3000 title in 1998, Montoya made the move to CART for the 1999 season. In a remarkable rookie season, Montoya became the youngest champion in the history of CART at the age of 24. He edged out Dario Franchitti for the title after the two racers posted the same number of championship points but Montoya had the advantage producing seven victories on the year to Franchitti’s three. In addition to the CART title, he was also named series Rookie of the Year.

Montoya elected to remain in the United States to compete in CART again during the 2000 season. In the only IndyCar Series start of his career, the 2000 Indianapolis 500, Montoya again wowed the motorsports world by winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”? in his first attempt. He closed that chapter of his American open-wheel racing career with 11 wins and 14 podium finishes in 41 career starts. Determined to fulfill his dream of competing in F1, Montoya joined the Williams BMW team in 2001.

He earned a win at Monza in his rookie season as he continued to hone his skills. In 2003, Montoya had a stellar season as he won the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the world’s crown jewel races, as he produced with two victories and a third-place finish in the series standing. He continued his drive with Williams BMW through 2004 before moving over to the McLaren-Mercedes team for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. During his F1 career, Montoya amassed seven victories and 30 podium finishes in 94 starts. It was announced late in the 2006 season that Montoya would compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2007

Play Podcast: 01-29-20f1weekly817.mp3

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