Juan Montoya's car catches fire after contact with Ryan Newman during Sunday's race. Credit: AP

Montoya calm in midst of wild Nextel Cup debut

Contact with Elliott in pits, Newman on track doesn't ruffle veteran

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Juan Montoya may have found his first rival in the Nextel Cup Series.

Battling for 21st with 15 laps remaining in his Cup debut Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the former Formula One driver got a nudge from Ryan Newman that resulted in a fiery crash for Montoya and trip to the NASCAR hauler for Newman.

Credit: AP

Ford 400 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Greg Biffle Ford 2. Martin Truex Jr. Chevy 3. Denny Hamlin Chevy 4. Kasey Kahne Dodge 5. Kevin Harvick Chevy 6. Matt Kenseth Ford 7. Scott Riggs Dodge 8. Carl Edwards Ford 9. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 10. Clint Bowyer Chevy • Complete results, click here • Driver standings, click here Victory LaneGreg Biffle wins the Ford 400 in Homestead Top finishersMatt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin talk about their night Looking aheadDale Jr. looking foward to the 2007 season Final lapsGreg Biffle gets the checkered flag in Homestead Hard crashJuan Montoya spins into flames on Lap 15 Against the wallKyle Busch swipes the wall slowing him down in Homestead Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

While crew chief Steve Boyer lost his cool, saying Newman is the "worst hacker and chopper there is,'' the first Colombian-born driver in NASCAR's premier series remained calm after his 34th-place finish.

"He'll learn one day,'' Montoya said.

Montoya has learned more than his share since driving his first stock car in an ARCA race at Talladega last month. He was 13th after starting 29th, ahead of the driver [Casey Mears] he will replace in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge next season, with 49 laps remaining.

Most of his problems came in the pits, where he once accidentally bumped former Cup champion Bill Elliott after coming in for repairs after a slight brush with the wall.

The only time communication became a problem was when several crewmembers got on the radio at the same time to tell him their plan for repairs.

"One person at a time,'' Montoya said calmly.

After Boyer issued instructions, Montoya politely replied, "OK, there you go.''

The conflict with Newman began on lap 248, when Newman spun out while racing for position with Montoya.

"He never touched me other than when we were both going for the same real estate,'' Newman said.

Newman took full blame for Montoya's crash, which NASCAR officials accepted as a racing incident and not retaliation.

"I felt bad for the situation because, obviously, it looked like I was retaliating, but that's not the case,'' Newman said. "I felt for Juan. I felt bad for the situation and him catching on fire and everything. I did not crash him on purpose and we'll go on.''

Montoya was upset about the incident, but not the way he raced with a part-time crew.

"Everybody at Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates did an awesome job for me,'' he said. "It's going to be hard. I knew when I signed with Chip that it wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm racing against great drivers, and it was awesome racing against them. I think it's been getting better and better race by race."

Boyer said Montoya ran an "awesome'' race once he got the car dialed in. He was proud of the way the 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion fought back onto the lead lap and passed many of NASCAR's top stars.

"He learned how a car needs to feel,'' Boyer said. "He learned about different lines, who he can race around and who he can't. Once he steps into that No. 42 next year, he'll be fine.

"Inside of six weeks, he's pretty much showed that he'll be good.''

As for a potential rivalry with Newman, Boyer said the two-month break before the Daytona 500 came at a good time.

"We'll let that stay between the drivers,'' he said. "Once we get to Daytona Beach, everything will be fine.''