Daytona 500: 20 Days and Counting
Monday, January 28th, 2008 5:16pm CST
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
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Juan Pablo Montoya
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2007 Stats
- Organization: Chip Ganassi Racing
- Car Number: 42
- Crew Chief: Donnie Wingo
- Sponsor: Texaco/Havoline
- Points: 20th :: 3487 :: -3236
- Starts: 36
- Poles: 0
- Wins: 1
- Top 5’s: 3
- Top 10’s: 6
- Winnings: $4,822,210
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2008 Preview
- Organization: Chip Ganassi Racing
- Car Number: 42
- Crew Chief: Donnie Wingo
- Sponsor: Texaco/Havoline
What can you say about 2007’s Rookie of the Year, former Indy 500 Champion, 7-Time F1 Winner, and as has been noted across the wire for the past 18 months his resume is impressive.
Welcome to NASCAR, Juan. His 2007 season was, well, a rookie season. He tore up some equipment, he ticked off some competitors, and he learned a lot. At least we hope he did.
Looking forward to 2008, the expectations are highly placed on his shoulders. While he won last year, it was at Sonoma’s Infinion Raceway. He’s supposed to be a contender there, given his resume. He needs to win on an oval to prove not only that he has the chops, but that the decision to hire him was more than a publicity stunt. The downside to all of this is that the Ganassi camp hasn’t been tearing the ovals up. Their last win before Montoya’s win? Jamie McMurray, while sitting in for Sterling Marlin at Charlotte. From there, it’s all been downhill.
Can Montoya do it? Honestly, yes he can. The question is though, can the equipment support it? As I’ve mentioned previously in other reviews where Dodge is concerned, their performance wasn’t on par in 2007. Whether or not they have their act together as a manufacturer will soon be known as we’re less than 2 weeks from Speedweeks, and less than 3 weeks from the Daytona 500. However, their real challenge will quickly come in the weeks that follow, as NASCAR makes it’s appearances at some intermediate tracks. Tracks where Dodge had serious issues last season. However, with the new car now on the track full time, it’s a toss up as to how things will shake out.
Note: information is accurate as of date published. Check Thunder Lounge for additional updates and information.
Filed Under: Chip Ganassi Racing #42, Drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Sprint Cup, Teams
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