Montoya rookie card set for preseason launch

The arrival of former Formula One drivers Juan Pablo Montoya to the world of NASCAR has drawn much attention recently. If you've been awaiting the release of the first Montoya NASCAR memorabilia, your wait is over.

Press Pass 2007 will be offering collectors the chance to get Montoya's first official NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rookie trading cards. The card will be part of the set's season preview platform.

Montoya joins the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates organization to compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2007.

"He will become the first Formula One driver in the 58-year history of NASCAR to compete on the circuit full time and will be running for the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year title," states Tom Farrell, Director of Marketing for Press Pass. "Collectors will find Montoya in the 2007 Preview subset and his card will carry the official Cup Rookie Card (CRC) logo designation."

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With impressive open-wheel credentials, Montoya has made 137 starts between the CART, IndyCar, and Formula One Series where he's tallied 18 wins, 26 poles, 60 top-five and 79 top-10 finishes. Over his five competitive seasons in Formula One, Montoya has always finished sixth or better in the standings.

"That's a card every collector will want," says Miles Atkins, Senior Product Manager for Press Pass. "With all the emphasis on rookie cards and all the media attention surrounding Montoya coming to NASCAR, this is going to a very significant card for collectors."

Although it is actually released in December, Press Pass 2007 is officially the first card set of the new year. It offers a comprehensive overview of the previous season featuring drivers from the NASCAR Nextel Cup, Busch, and Craftsman Truck series, as well as the NASCAR Touring Series Champions.

"The 2006 season provided fans with many thrilling moments and victories," says Farrell. "Collectors will be able to capture a piece of that history with a re-vamped 'Burning Rubber' race-used tire program that exclusively features race-win tires on every card. That's new for 2007. Additionally, the 120-card base set contains 10 subsets and covers the broadest range of racing of any Press Pass set. You will find a look back at the greatest moments from 2006, and an innovative look at the year's most sensational wins."

Press Pass 2007 boasts an impressive insert program highlighted by the interactive, "Cup Chase," which provides collectors with a chance to win a complete 10-card Cup Chase prize set if the driver on their Cup Chase redemption card makes the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Chase for the Nextel Cup in September, 2007. Also, anyone holding the redemption card of the driver who wins the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship can redeem it for a special memorabilia card of the 2007 Champion.

The popular but rare Signature Series autographed memorabilia cards which made their debut in Press Pass 2005 will continue in all 2007 Press Pass NASCAR releases. Found exclusively in Press Pass 2007, Burning Rubber Signature Series cards feature race-victory tires and are autographed and numbered to the driver's door number. Autograph seekers will find more signatures in Press Pass Certified Autographs-a series found only in Press Pass 2007 and the soon-to-be-released Press Pass Eclipse.

If that isn't enough to whip autograph seekers into a frenzy, late additions to Press Pass 2007 include authentic autographed press plates taken from the actual press run for Press Pass Autograph program that are signed by the drivers. Collectors will also find vintage pre-2007 autographs from all of the drivers who competed in the 2006 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne.

Other inserts include Race Day, a 12-card foil etch insert; Velocity, an embossed holofoil nine-card insert; and Snapshots set-within-a-set that captures unique candid moments of the 2006 season in a bulletin board motif.

Finally, Press Pass' year-long memorabilia program is back with Four Wide memorabilia cards that contain four pieces of race-used memorabilia, and Double Burner, a two-piece memorabilia card that will be unique to each Press Pass brand this year.

"This is a great way to start the new season for collectors," says Atkins. "Press Pass 2007 is going to give collectors plenty to get excited about, and we feel that excitement is just going to grow as the season rolls on and we release more new product."