Two-time Indy 500 winner set for first NASCAR start in 10 years

As a racing enthusiast with decades of experience under my belt, I can hardly contain my excitement for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International! The return of Juan Pablo Montoya to the track after a decade-long hiatus is nothing short of a nostalgic delight. His impressive resume, which includes wins at the Indy 500 and Formula 1 races, promises a thrilling showdown on the road course.

23XI Racing is among the two teams planning to compete with a team not holding a permanent slot in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Watkins Glen International, scheduled for this coming Sunday afternoon.

Starting from the previous season, they’ve introduced an extra car on a highly restricted schedule. Specifically, the No. 50 and No. 67 Toyotas have shown up just four times since early February 2023.

In light of speculation that they plan to purchase the last Stewart-Haas Racing charter and increase their full-time teams from two to three next year, the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-led team are preparing to race the No. 50 Toyota with Juan Pablo Montoya this weekend.

Montoya set for first NASCAR race in a decade

More recently, Montoya, who was the 1999 CART champion and won the Indy 500 twice, participated in a NASCAR race back in 2014. In that year, he joined Team Penske to compete full-time in IndyCar races, and he also raced for Roger Penske’s team in Cup Series events at Michigan International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

His latest Cup Series road course race was a year prior, where he finished fifth with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing at Watkins Glen. The 2013 season marked his seventh and final full year in the Cup Series before he returned to open-wheel racing in 2014.

The 48-year-old Colombian, who had six victories in Formula 1 between 2001 and 2006, is a previous winner of the Cup Series at Watkins Glen (in 2010). He also clinched his only other Cup Series win on a road course race at Sonoma Raceway back in 2007.

At present, there’s no scheduled comeback for the No. 50 Toyota before the end of the year, but it might show up at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval as early as next month. As for Montoya, he has no intentions to participate in any further Cup Series races.

For this weekend’s race, an additional car not affiliated with a charter is the No. 13 Chevrolet, which will be managed by Kaulig Racing and driven by A.J. Allmendinger. Similar to the No. 50 Toyota, the No. 13 Chevrolet has only taken part in two other races this year.

On Sunday, September 15th at 3:00 p.m. ET, USA Network will air live coverage of the Go Bowling event at Watkins Glen International. If you haven’t started a free trial with FuboTV yet, this could be the perfect opportunity to sign up!

2024-09-11 16:02