Juan Pablo Montoya got his first stock car win in Mexico City today in semi-controversial fashion, as he made contact with teammate Scott Pruett with less than 10 laps to go.
http://www.nascar.com/video/busch/2007/03/04/bg.mex.final.nascar/frameset.exclude.html?MostPopular
Pruett was less than happy afterwards, as you might imagine.
So, motorsports fans, who had the corner? Did Pruett come down on Montoya, or did JPM divebomb his teammate to take the lead?
When I saw it on Sportscenter, I had made up my mind that JPM made a mistake and took out Pruett but after watching the clip a few times I’m not so sure. It looks to me like it’s simply an accident where both parties are at fault. It just so happens they are on the same team. I don’t think it’s any big deal.
Really hard call, but much as I hate to say it, I blame JPM. He wasn’t close enough to claim the corner, and although Pruett should have been keeping an eye on him and given him enough room, as the commentator said, the only team orders were, don’t take out your teammate.
What I want to know is, how come no one told me that NASCAR is now running three road course races? I don’t care much for the oval races, but I woulda watched this one if I had known.
This was a Busch series race, Nextel Cup still only runs Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
The Busch series is running 3 road courses this year, this race, a new race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve up in Montreal (8/4), and then Watkins Glen (8/11). The Nextel series is running the same 2 road courses they’ve been running for a long time, Sears Point & Watkins Glen. I can’t be bothered to pay much attention to 80% of NASCAR’s schedule (and rarely, if ever, a Busch race) but I was watching today.
At first sight, I blamed Pruett for shutting the door on Montoya, but came around to Pruett’s side, in that Montoya had no business doing a dive bomb at that stage of the race. The thing is that there was no way Pruett was going to stay ahead of Montoya for the last 8 laps. Montoya was so much better than everyone else going through the Peraltada it wasn’t funny.
My name is Juan Pablo Montoya. You killed my stock car. Prepare to die!
I blame Juan Pablo Montoya, because to hear the broadcasters, Juan Pablo Montoya was the only car in the race. Sure, Juan Pablo Montoya may be a great driver, but Juan Pablo Montoya is still a stock car rookie with only 10 NASCAR starts. Juan Pablo Montoya is not the second coming of Christ. Juan Pablo Montoya still has a lot to learn about stock cars.
One time, just once, I’d like them to call him, simply, Montoya.
19th to 1st in 23 laps is impressive, absolutely, but that bonehead move with 8 to go took most of that away. Pruett’s subsequent 17th to 5th tear in the final 6 laps was much more remarkable, IMO.
Meh.
If they hadn’t been teammates, it would have been called “hard driving.” On many ovals, that much fender alongside of the opponent, in an attempt to pass, would have been called “his position.” Montoya dove in hard, and IMO he had the corner. Pruett dove to the inside to try to block. He’s upset, and rightly so, but I don’t think it was 100% Montoya’s fault, he was doing what he could to win…
Pruett could have backed off, Montoya could have waited for another opportunity, but it was for the lead/win, and a win is a win, regardless of whether you are a “road course ringer” or a NASCAR regular.
On NASCAR ovals, every driver has a spotter in his ear continually. On road courses, the spotter can’t see the whole course. It looked to me like Pruett’s fault. Montoya had outbraked him, and there wasn’t room for Pruett to dive inside. You can’t block when the other guy is already past your back bumper. On an oval, I’d have blamed Pruett’s spotter, but not here. Pruett should have gone wide and challenged him on another turn, but he took himself out.
But if they did that, everyone would confuse him with all those other Montoyas currently racing in the Busch series.
As for dumping Pruett, it was both driver’s fault, IMO. Montoya went into the corner too aggressively (he started from about two car-lengths behind), and Pruett pretty clearly (from Montoya’s in-car camera) tried to shut the door. He had an outside line he could have held, but instead cut sharply to the right at the apex. That’s racin’. If you don’t want to get spun out, don’t put yourself in a position to get spun out.
BTW, what with the announcers spending most of their time competing to see who could most vigorously fellate Juan Pablo, it would have been nice if they’d taken a moment to acknowledge Carl Edwards’ (not exactly known for his road-course skillz so far) quiet top-five finish.
I’ve been enjoying the Mexico City races, and will be sure to watch the Montreal event as well, even if the cars are about as graceful on the curves as a herd of panicked hippos. More road courses in NASCAR, you bet.
I’m still pretty new to NASCAR, but it seems to me that Pruett just gets to run Busch races, while Montoya gets to run Busch and Nextel. He robbed a team mate of a slim, but important chance at a win in the only series he drives in.
If Montoya really is the second coming of Andretti, then let him get a win with the big boys, not fly off the handle and stop driving smart while pushing someone else off the track. Yeah, Pruett did try to block his inside, but that was probably more from frustration than from anything else.
I remember reading on another board that supposedly Ganassi asked or was going to ask Pruett to drive his Nextel Cup car but deceided to go with Montoya instead. I can’t remember if Pruett declined, or if Ganassi thought Montoya was a better choice (if its the latter, I agree, not to take anything away from Scott Pruett though).
Sorry, that’s not the way racing, or any professional competitive sport, works. You don’t let anyone win, even a teammate, because he “deserves” it, or to be nice. And no competitor would want to be “allowed” to win that way.
I disagree with this, too. Pruett was taking the standard wide line to go for a late apex. Montoya cut way inside him and was trying to outbrake him and get to an earlier apex before Pruett got there. I think Pruett was expecting JPM to follow the same line, and didn’t see that he had gotten inside him.
If he hadn’t hit Pruett, I doubt that Montoya could have made the corner and stayed on track on that line. That’s why I blame Montoya.
Very true, but Ferrari has done exactly that in Formula 1 more than once.
A team boss ordering one of his drivers to give up a win so that his teammate, who needs the points more, can have it is hardly unheard of, though.
Granted, the textbook example is in Formula One, rather than NASCAR, but it doesn’t get much more blatant than Rubens Barrichello slowing down within sight of the checkered flag to allow Michael Schumacher to pass at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.
Pruett is a “road course ringer”. Usually very competetive at Watkins Glen, Infineon, etc, not so great on ovals. He is a hired gun when NASCAR visits road courses, and I think he likes having that reputation. He’s made 39 Cup starts to 6 Busch starts.
The short story is this.
Regular drivers in both series, are often replaced for the road courses by what has been come to known as “road course ringers.” The idea behind this is that a “road course expert” may finish better (or even win!) than the regular driver of the car. This can be good for exposure, overall owner’s points, or additional information for other teams owned by the same team. (Staying in the top 35 in owners points is HUGE in Nextel cup, top 30 in Busch.) Often it’s the “mid-level” teams that use the ringer.
Montoya, while clearly a “road course expert” is trying to break into the world of “stock cars,” which runs mostly ovals, using a totally different car. Right now, Busch & Nextel cup cars are very similar in how they run, so Montoya is running both series, to get the seat time and experience on the types of tracks that NASCAR runs.
In this case, Pruett is the “ringer” and we’ll likely see him again at Watkins Glen and/or Sonoma in the Nextel cup, and Montreal or Watkins in Busch.
(or, post-post, what **29car ** said. :D)
In my post I wasn’t speaking of the team orders situation that Secret Volcano Lair or brad_d mentioned, since we heard from the commentators that there were no team orders, other than “don’t take out your teammate!”
I certainly know it happens. I was watching (in stunned disbelief) when Schumacher passed Barrichello in 2002. But the universal outrage on the part of fans and even drivers to that and other instances of team orders only proves my point that no one (except the team bosses) wants a win that way. We all want a pure competition.
I was watching and would say both of them have some ‘fault’ (although I would prefer a different word). Montoya had the stronger car and with 10 laps to go, should have had a bit more patience. That said, as others have indicated, Pruett did move to block him, knowing Montoya had a run on him.
But stick a microphone in the face of someone who just lost a race they had a good chance of winning and of course he’s going to be upset. The common-taters also ask questions specifically designed to get the best theatrical response.
Now I’ve got the voice of D.W. in my head going, “That’s Racin!” (Help! It burns!)
Yeah, but those 39 Cup starts also include that full season he ran in the 32 for Cal Wells.