From the March, 2007 issue of Stock Car Insider
Montoya Gets Best Cup Finish Ever at Atlanta
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| I found it comical watching Juan Pablo Montoya in the closing laps of the Kobalt Tools 500 yesterday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. There is no doubt that Juan desperately wanted to win his first race in NASCAR's top level. So much so that he found it necessary to coach seasoned Cup drivers Jeff Gordon and Robbie Gordon to back off. In the closing laps, the Gordons were competing for the 'lucky dog' spot with Montoya stuck in the middle and racing in 4th position. Juan could be seen waving his hand out the window at both drivers as he rode in the high line. Of course neither Gordon could care less about Montoya's hand signals. Both were trying desperately to salvage a decent finish after suffering major setbacks earlier in the race. Despite Juan's signaling of others around him to be cautious, he had no problem turning up the juice on the final run of the race. After a strong restart which carried Montoya past Dale Earnhardt Jr, Juan was set to make a run on Jimmie Johnson for 2nd place. The run was cut short as Montoya carried too far on the exit of turn 2 and scraped the wall with 10 laps remaining. The minor brush was enough to send Montoya back to 5th place where he finished the race. There is no doubt that the Columbian born driver is a talent and is catching on quick in the world of NASCAR. It will be interested to see at what level Montoya is consistently competing come September.
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