Highlights

Confident Montoya has quiet qualifying day

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-02-12 10:42

Juan Pablo Montoya has seen it all before, although one big difference is that his current car has a roof.

The unflappable Colombian, a former CART champion, Indianapolis 500 winner and Formula One regular, sat calmly in his No. 42 Dodge 10 minutes before his first shot at Daytona 500 qualifying on Sunday, staring into the distance.

What was he thinking about as he prepared to officially get his first full season of American stock-car under way?

"Nothing, really. Just waiting," Montoya said, shrugging.

Montoya's stock car experience thus far consists of two races on the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) circuit, four on the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing's (NASCAR) second-tier Busch Series events and one on the premier Nextel Cup circuit, all at the end of last season after he decided to leave the glamorous globe-hopping world of F1 to rejoin team owner Chip Ganassi and take a shot at NASCAR.

But racing in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was considerably different than taking a shot at American stock car racing's premier event for the most anticipated rookie in years.

Montoya, who has only watched the race on television a few times in the past, said he's beginning to get a sense of the history and importance of the Daytona race.

"Yesterday, I was amazed at the amount of people who came to see the Shootout," Montoya said, referring to Saturday night's made-for-TV all-star race for pole winners and former Shootout winners. "It was pretty cool to watch. Hopefully, next year we'll be in it."

For now, he has other business to take care of.

Montoya posted the fourth-best lap Sunday in the time trials portion of Daytona qualifying. That gives him a front-row starting spot for one of Thursday's two 240-kilometer (150-mile) qualifying races that will help set the field for next Sunday's 500.

Montoya, who replaced Casey Mears in the No. 42, has no worries about making the big race. The top 35 entries in last year's car owner points are guaranteed a starting spot in each of the first five races this year, and Mears, now with Hendrick Motorsports, wound up 14th in 2006.

Mears, who qualified 11th in his No. 25 Chevrolet on Sunday, said Montoya's experience is a difference maker.

"Just race experience really helps and, obviously, he's a very talented guy," said Mears, nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears and also a former open-wheel racer. "But he's going to have a lot of growing pains and learning curves for stock cars versus the open-wheel stuff that he's driven."