Montoya's rise fueled by Pattie's targeted approach (cont'd)

If there was one singular moment to point to as the key to Montoya's rise, that was it. "You can't tell the guy do this, do that. He's not a dog," Pattie said. "Adapting the setups to him was probably the turning point. Thinking outside the box. Getting out there a little bit. Stuff we'd never dream about running, we'd run it."

Clearly, Montoya has responded. He's scored top-10s in seven of his last nine outings, and barring a disaster will be in the Chase when it begins Sept. 20 in New Hampshire. In recent events, he's given up chances to win, preferring to drive conservatively and ensure his spot in NASCAR's playoff.

"I think we've found a lot of things in the car, how to make them better, how to make them comfortable for my driving style," he said. "Every person drives differently. You always hear like with Hendrick, Jeff [Gordon] wants it one way and Jimmie [Johnson] wants it another. It's the same thing with me. I wanted it a different way, and it seems to work."

• Purchase tickets
• Book your travel

Of course, it's more about the cars. Trust, Pattie said, is ultimately why the relationship between the driver and his crew chief works. They're both numbers guys, Pattie said, a fact that enhances their ability to communicate. And being together for more than a year now has allowed Pattie to compile notes on each race track, giving him a baseline to work with every time they go back.

How much does that help? Glover points to Pocono, where Montoya was 38th and 40th last year. This season, he finished sixth and second. One by one, the No. 42 is eliminating the variables that have stood between them and Chase contention.

"We come back to a race track and run exactly the same stuff," Pattie said. "We didn't have enough notes, enough pit notes. You don't get good notes overnight. You go to school, you come back. And now that we have practices, each week we can turn this week into a better week next week.

"Those guys at Hendrick, that's what they do. Their notes are perfect, and they have four quality drivers. They get four times as many notes, and they build on that, and they're four times as fast. We'll get there. We're a ways away. We're plugging away."

Montoya's transformation from championship contender in F1 to championship contender in NASCAR has taken three years, about what the driver expected. He knew he wasn't going to be immediately successful, that getting comfortable in stock cars would take time. Still, that didn't stop some -- including the car owner -- from expecting this kind of performance last year, on the heels of that first win at Infineon.

"Chip said at the beginning of last year that we were going to make the Chase, and I said, 'What is he smoking?'" Montoya said. "This year, when we sat down in Chicago the year [before], we said, we have to make the Chase the year after, or let's be a contender for the Chase. So far, we're in a good position. But I would consider myself just a contender at this point. We still have a lot of racing to do, and you just have to be smart about it."

But make no mistake about it -- eventually, he expected to contend for titles in NASCAR, just as he has in other racing series. "Chip didn't hire me to come here and run 20th, and I didn't come here to think I was going to run 20th every week," he said. "I know what I can do with a race car, and I think Chip knows that, too. He gave me the right people and the right tools to do it, and that's what we're doing."

Yet for one of those people, Pattie, the success hasn't come without a personal price. He'll be the first to admit, he liked racing in the Nationwide Series -- golf on Sundays and Thursdays, and more at home to spend with his four children, all aged 12 or younger. Sprint Cup brings with it an entirely different lifestyle and set of demands.

"It's still hard, I'll be honest with you. It's still hard," he said. "I still have four children at home. They're all growing up. It's still difficult today, I'll be honest with you. It's hard. Like [two weeks ago], going to Pocono, racing on Monday, going to Dover, tire test Tuesday and Wednesday, came straight to [Watkins Glen].

"It's hard. But what are you going to do, go work at [a store]? I'd rather not do that. I'd rather go to races and try to perform at this level. I've had opportunities many times, I just didn't want to go."

What made the difference this time? Pattie said the loss of his father in 2007 had an influence. Glover believes Montoya's presence had an impact as well.

"I've known for a while that Brian could be a really good Cup crew chief. I've known that from working with him in the [Nationwide] Series. It's just a matter of, does he want to do it or not?" the team manager said. "I think if it would have been an ordinary Joe Blow that he'd had an opportunity to be a crew chief for, he might not have taken it. But he looked at Juan as an extreme talent, and he wanted to be a part of that."

As long as he's there, Pattie wants to make the most of it. The No. 42 team admittedly is points racing right now, aiming for a certain finishing position every week, just making sure they make the Chase. That plan ends after 26 races. The team will meet on the Tuesday after the Chase cutoff race at Richmond to discuss the final 10. They're building cars for the 2010 season. They're ready to contend this year and into the future.

"I don't want to be a one-hit wonder," Pattie said. "I don't want to come in here and possibly make the Chase in '09, and in '10 be 20th again. It's hard to sustain this level. But with what we're doing, I think we can."