Miami's most popular driver not who you think (cont'd)

"Juan Pablo, I think he can be star here with his credentials," NASCAR chairman Brian France said. "His aggressive style and his connection to the Hispanic population is very good for us, and I've always said that. The question is, is he good enough at this style racing to be a star? I think he is, but he's got to prove that. I think he thinks he is. I think he's done a lot to put his best foot forward this year."

He certainly has behind the wheel of his No. 42 car -- despite not winning this season, Montoya stands sixth in points, and can finish the year as high as third. But the greater strides may be those he has helped NASCAR make off the race track, and the interest he has sparked among the Latin community. It's difficult to pin down; there are no obvious, hard numbers showing growth among certain ethnic groups. Anecdotal evidence, though, is everywhere. It's not uncommon now to see Colombian flags at the race track. Montoya recently took part in a conference call exclusively for Colombian media. Telemundo, the popular Spanish-language television station, broadcast from his charity gala. A writer for El Tiempo, the nation's largest newspaper, arrives in town Saturday.

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And he's not coming to talk to Johnson. For his part, Montoya seems willing to play the ambassador, as long his primary reason for coming to NASCAR is understood.

"If you can help NASCAR do it, why not? You're going to help yourself," Montoya said. "So, you know, I mean, it's not a priority. My number one priority is to get the job done and run with the car and work for [team owner] Chip [Ganassi], do what you've got to do, like the normal driver thing. Outside of that, you know, in a way, you guys [in the media] have been trying to put like responsibility around it. You do what you can. But you're not here for that. You know what I mean? I'm not racing NASCAR to create Hispanic awareness about it, you know? I race NASCAR because I want to kick everybody's butt."

And yet, in South Florida at least, he seems to have created something that's become much bigger than himself. Montoya's influence has been seen throughout the Cup tour since his arrival, to the point where chants of "Co-lom-bia!" emanated from the grandstands after he won his first race at Sonoma, Calif., in 2007. But his qualification for the Chase, and his metamorphosis into a legitimate threat for race wins, has added a legitimacy to his NASCAR endeavor that has further stoked interest throughout the Latin world. It all comes to a head in Miami, where an entire row of seats at the track media center is reserved for Spanish-speaking media members, and Montoya is a bigger draw than even the driver vying for an unprecedented fourth consecutive championship.

"We have made inroads in the Latin community over the years, through schools, though media, through our promotional efforts, our marketing efforts, our advertising. But nothing has worked better than Montoya being successful on the race track," said Curtis Gray, president of the Homestead track. "We're seeing the results of that. We'll have more new fans here for this event than we've ever had at an event before, and I would attribute a lot of that to Montoya's success on the track."

Miami, with its multitude of Latin communities, has always been friendly territory to Montoya, even dating back to his Formula One days. His emigration to NASCAR spiked interest to the point where Homestead-Miami brought in overflow seating for his first race at the speedway, but the fervor cooled considerably as team chemistry issues and an adjustment to the heavier stock car led Montoya's results to ebb. There was skepticism, even among the Latin community, as to whether he could succeed. Now, after a strong run to qualify for the Chase and an impressive showing in the first half of NASCAR's playoff, those doubters are much more difficult to find. (Continued)