From the February, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider
Juan Pablo Montoya Captures Controversial Win!
NASCAR got a big assist from Juan Pablo Montoya in its Drive for Diversity yesterday in the Telcel-Motorola 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez! The Columbian native garnered the first win for a Hispanic in one of NASCAR's top series, and it could not have occurred in a more perfect setting than Mexico City.The win was not without controversy, however. Montoya had spent the second half of the race battling his way back to the front of the field after mechanical problems in a pit stop on lap 45 sent him to 21st position. By lap 72, Juan was sitting in 2nd position with only 8 laps and teammate Scott Pruitt sitting between him and victory lane. Driving hard into turn 1, Montoya edged under the #41 Juicy Fruit Dodge and sent Pruitt spinning. While I'm sure some will take issue with how Montoya won, no one can doubt that Juan has embraced the fender banging aspects of NASCAR that Dale Earnhardt made famous.
In a few weeks, how Montoya won the race will be forgotten, but the fact that he won will be remembered by Hispanic fans forever. This is what NASCAR wants, and this is what NASCAR desperately needs. As NASCAR continues to grow and compete for the title as America's top sport, it will depend on support from its traditional fan base along with increasing the sports popularity in what is now the nation’s largest minority group, Hispanics.
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