Montoya starting to feel comfortable behind wheel (cont'd)

"I'm getting comfortable now on these tracks. I need to work on the other ones and we're going to have ups and downs. But when the car is comfortable, we're going to get in the rhythm the second half of the season where we start going to tracks I've been to and we run the car we ran there and the setups and then a little bit of what I know I need to run. That's going to definitely help."

Montoya's strong run certainly caught the attention of the drivers who finished in the top three spots.

"This is a tough race track, a long race running the top, the bottom," winner Jimmie Johnson said. "When I looked in the mirror and saw him catching me at times, he was rim-riding the top of the track. For an open wheel guy to come in and feel comfortable [enough] to do that, I think that says a lot about his talents."

Second-place Tony Stewart said it's not easy to go fast at Atlanta your first time out.

"I'm pretty impressed. To come to Atlanta and run that well here, to be able to figure this place out," Stewart said. "I didn't figure it out in one try by any means. He did an awesome job.

"Every track he goes to this year is going to be a new track for him. But that shows why he got his opportunity in Formula One because he's a great talent."

Matt Kenseth got a look at Montoya's "unique entry" into the corners and was impressed.

"When I was running fifth or whatever, he blew my doors off," Kenseth said. "He was running the high side and what I said was, 'He's gonna win the race if he doesn't hit the wall.'

"I thought he was going to [win] because he was flying up there."

Montoya said he appreciates the compliments.

"I think it's been great. I've been very respectful of them," he said. "I think they are great drivers. They are making my life tough. It's hard work.

"Something that's amazing is how clean they race. It's great. You get a run, they'll give you room. They get a run on you, you've got to give them room and you learn to play that way and it just makes the racing awesome."