 | | Chip Ganassi hopes to have Juan Pablo Montoya in a NASCAR ride by August. Credit: Autostock |
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
July 19, 2006
10:43 AM EDT (14:43 GMT)
Juan Pablo Montoya will compete in a couple of Busch Series events before a Nextel Cup race if NASCAR officials and car owner Chip Ganassi have anything to say about it. "We would recommend that they get a couple of Busch races under their belt and get the dynamics of full-body, side-by-side racing and the problems that may arise on pit road at different places,'' said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition. Ganassi, who recently signed the Formula One star to replace Casey Mears in the No. 42 Dodge next season, said that would be his preference. "In terms of a race, we'll probably run a Busch event first,'' he said. "In terms of testing, it doesn't matter if it's a Cup car or a Busch car.'' Ganassi would like to have Montoya in a stock car by the middle of next month, but his hands are tied until Montoya gets his full release from McLaren. McLaren's Ron Dennis reportedly said Montoya would not compete or test for Ganassi until the end of the year unless a financial settlement is reached. Ganassi hopes the two sides can work things out peacefully. "They're obviously in a reactive mode,'' he said. "I know Ron Dennis. I'm best served by running my race team and he's best served by running his.'' Ganassi said his organization already has a tentative plan to get Montoya certified and ready for the start of the 2007 season. The first step in getting certification is submitting a resume. Pemberton said that's merely a formality for a driver with the experience of Montoya, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 and CART series title in 1999.  |  | RELATED HEADLINES | |
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"It's different if you're a new guy, young guy with no experience,'' said Pemberton, a member of NASCAR's committee that certifies drivers. "We make you go through the ranks and observe you at different levels. "A person that has competed at the level he has throughout his career probably buys him a lot of latitude. He's not just competed. He's a proven winner and competitor.'' Ganassi said he's working directly with NASCAR on developing a plan for Montoya. The plan calls for Montoya to drive in numerous Cup, Busch and ARCA series events before the end of the year. Pemberton said it would be preferable for Montoya to start out on a short track, advance to an intermediate flat track and then to a high-banked oval such as Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas or Homestead. While the recommendation is to compete in one of the lower series first, Pemberton said NASCAR would not hesitate to certify Montoya for the road-course race at Watkins Glen next month because of his road-course experience. Ganassi said Watkins Glen isn't a priority. "Ninety-nine thousand people have given me 99,000 ideas on what to do,'' he said. "The good news is we've worked with Juan before. We know what he needs and what this is going to take.'' Fellow car owner Roger Penske said it won't take much to prepare Montoya for Cup, calling the hire a "coup'' for Ganassi. "I've known Juan Pablo ever since he came to the U.S. with Chip,'' he said. "He's one of the more dynamic race drivers I've seen. He likes to rub paint. He certainly is capable from the standpoint of driving style to win races.'' Penske said Montoya's biggest challenge will be learning to communicate the ever-changing setup adjustments necessary during a race. "An F-1 car, you get in it and you might change some air pressure or make a slight wing change,'' Penske said. "All the things you can throw at a Cup car, that's going to be the key thing. "You listen to our drivers, there's a lot of communication back and forth. You don't have any of that in F-1.'' | 
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