Montoya ready to test Cup cars?

Team Infidel

Team Infidel

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A deal has been struck that will allow Juan Pablo Montoya to begin testing with Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates' NASCAR operation, possibly as soon as next week, Yahoo! Sports has learned. Montoya has been unable to practice in a stock car due to a contractual issue with his soon-to-be former employer McLaren-Mercedes F1. An agreement releasing Montoya from his contractual obligations to his F1 team is necessary before he can begin testing with Ganassi. That agreement has been reached, according to a source within the Ganassi organization. Details of the agreement have not been disclosed, though an announcement is expected soon. Ganassi/Sabates officials want the former F1 and Indy 500 winner behind the wheel of one of their cars as soon as possible in order to prepare for his entrance into Nextel Cup next season. Tentative plans have Montoya running at least four races and as many as nine before the end of the season, including the Busch Series races at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami and the Cup finale at Homestead – all markets with large Latino populations. Montoya also might run the ARCA race at Talladega in October, which would give the Colombian experience on a restrictor plate superspeedway.(Yahoo Sports)
 
UPDATE: Juan Montoya will get his first taste of stock car racing Monday at Talladega, Ala. and Chip Ganassi plans to run his open-wheel star in a few races before the 2006 season is over. “Yes, Juan has been set free,” said Ganassi on Saturday night when asked if the 1999 CART champion had worked out his contract issues with Team McLaren. “And we’re going to get with a pretty heavy testing schedule real quick starting with an ARCA car on Monday at Talladega.” Asked if the 30-year-old Colombian would do any racing, Ganassi replied, “Absolutely, A-B-C.” That reference was to ARCA, Busch and Nextel Cup – Ganassi fields teams in all three series. Montoya, who shocked the racing world July by announcing he was leaving Formula 1 for NASCAR, was being blocked from changing careers until he settled his contract with McLaren, which was paying him through December.(Speed Channel)
 
UPDATE 3: The process of transforming Juan Pablo Montoya from a top-flight Formula One driver into a NASCAR regular began Monday as the South American driver participated in an ARCA test session at Talladega Superspeedway. Montoya ran laps in a Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Charger as Ganassi, crew chief Donnie Wingo and much of the Ganassi hierarchy looked on. Although official speeds were not released [see speeds link at end of this post], team members said Montoya ran laps in the 187-mile-per-hour range. "I went out on the track for the first time, and it was like, 'Oh, my God,'" Montoya said. "I went into [Turn] 3 and 4 and started to lift, but I said, 'Oh, let's just try it.' I went into 1 pretty fast. They told me running flat [full speed around the track] here was easy. I did it, and it felt pretty quick. The car moves around a lot more than I'm used to, but I'm getting there. It will take some time." Unless Ganassi's plans change, Montoya will make his stock-car-racing debut in the Food World 250 ARCA race here Oct. 6. He is scheduled to run the full Nextel Cup series next season. Monday's laps were Montoya's first in a full-bodied NASCAR-style stock car, although he raced 12 years ago in Trans-Am-type cars in his native Colombia.(SceneDaily.com)
AND Montoya made his first test run as a stock car racer Monday at Talladega, beginning his transition from open wheel racing star to NASCAR neophyte. Montoya ran the Superspeedway in an ARCA Car for Chip Ganassi Racing, with whom he won the 2000 Indy 500 in his first try. Ganassi said he plans for Montoya to log as many miles as possible this season. He has also said he wants Montoya to run in ARCA, Busch and Nextel Cup races by the end of the season, but said Monday he didn't know yet where his first race would be. The Talladega ARCA race is Oct. 6.(Associated Press) and see the ARCA Speeds run by 31 drivers Monday at RacingOne, Mark Mitchell was the fastest at 187.768mph, Steve Wallace was 5th and Juan Pablo Montoya was 6th at 186.667mph.
 
basically he could be one of the few drivers to run in cart, champ car, irl, f1, and now nascar. this guy is good and it will definitly be exciting to see him run with the big boys next year at daytona.
 
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