hacker-pschorr

From USAToday:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...notebook_x.htm

Something just wasn't right as Juan Pablo Montoya turned his first official laps in a NASCAR Nextel Cup car this week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "(Kevin) Harvick came to the team. He said, 'You know, looking at the car from behind, I think the car is too low on the left,' " Montoya relayed in a teleconference Wednesday. "He said, 'I think you should try this here, do that.' "

So much for whether the Formula One-turned-NASCAR driver at Chip Ganassi Racing would be accepted. The 31-year-old Colombian already has spent time with Cup drivers off the track, and they've proved to be equally as friendly on it.

"We don't do that in Europe. If you see somebody struggling in Formula One, you never going to go and say, 'You're making this wrong.' You actually go to your guys, and you say, 'You see what they're doing wrong,' " Montoya said with a chuckle.

Montoya will make his NASCAR debut in a Busch Series car Oct. 28 at Memphis Motorsports Park, which wouldn't be his first choice.

"If I had to pick to say where I wanted to do my first Busch race, I wouldn't pick that one," said Montoya, who has run two ARCA races in recent weeks, of the tricky track

earlyapex

They will be friendly until he starts finishing in the top 10 against a NASCAR field.

hacker-pschorr

Everyone with half a brain in NASCAR realizes Montoya must be competitive. Not dominate, but in the top 10 on a regular basis. If not, all of the critics (and F1 / Montoya loyalists) will scream unfair play. Weather it’s car setup, being bullied on the track etc… If he is consistently running towards the front, this will be very good for NASCAR on the world market. NASCAR stopped being a gool-ol-boys sports from the south when Jeff Gordon started winning.

The press is also trying to stir up controversy with Toyota in NASCAR. Once Penske switches over (and he’s expected to soon) everyone will stop worrying about it.

Why is it racing horses in a circle is considered a sophisticated gentleman’s sport. Racing cars in a circle is called dumbed down and “easy”. I’ve never been a NASCAR supporter, so these are just observations.

Nordschleife

You ask this question because you have never ridden a thoroughbred racehorse in a race; lose weight, get fit, and answer the question for yourself. Incidentally, in the US, most of the 'gentlemen' are in the stands, the guys on the horses are mostly Hispanics. Unless we are talking about the Colonial or Maryland Hunt Cups, that is.

R+C
PS I think our view point is probably the same

Traffic53

good question- even if you're only half serious. horse racing is a competition of endurance between living, breathing beings. they run in a circle so they don't have to catch a taxi back- and so we can watch.

funny, but this is why NASCAR is sooo silly. running cars on an oval IS simply and easy. what's the challenge in setting up a car to hook up while turing left? what's the challenge in developing an engine to cruise at one specific rpm range?

sorry, NASCAR is just f--king dumb.

MJR911

Mike,
We're all entitled to our own opinion, and i'm not a huge fan of NASCAR but to say it is SIMPLE and EASY is so far off i'm not going to even get into it.

38D

That's what I used to think until I drove Daytona. One lap and you will have respect for the roundy-round crew.

earlyapex

There's allot of talented drivers in NASCAR. We may not like the format, but some of the best American talent is going in circles. Looks like one Columbian and maybe a Canadian?

Greg Fishman

I am sorry to be so abrupt but you are clueless. If it was easy then why haven't certain drivers with all the backing in the world (Kyle Petty for example) been able to win races.

I can understand saying that you don't like NASCAR, but to call it easy shows more than a little ignornace of racing. Having just raced at Daytona I can tell you that going around the banking at 140mph is not "easy", much less traveling at 50-60 mph faster than that for several hours.

hacker-pschorr

Nord - as Traffic pointed out, I was somewhat kidding with the horse racing comparison. I have never in my life compared any type of horse racing to auto racing. Not sure where that thought came from - seamed like an interesting comparison so I threw it out there. Not to mention I made the comment to be taken from the spectators point of view, not the driver / rider. So unless you have suited up and competed in NASCAR, I guess I could say the same to you whenever you make an anti-NASCAR comment.
From a pure spectator point of view - what's the difference? Watching a group of something chase each other in a circle. I'm not a fan of circle racing on a pro level (love the local stuff) I'm not a fan of horse racing either.

As for an opinion as to what it takes to drive on these ovals, a recent thread here touched on that subject:
https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-and-drivers-education-forum/305777-the-most-oft-repeated-statement-at-daytona-this-past-weekend.html

Just for the record - the "half a brain" comment I made above was not directed towards anyone here.

multi21

I'm not a NASCAR fan, but it's hard not to catch it on TV when it's being force fed down our throats every second on SPEED and now network TV. I don't like the fact that the real race doesn't start until there are about 30-50 laps left. I don't like the fact that an artificial yellow flag is thrown to make it a better show, but the more I watch it, the more I respect what the driver's are doing at 180-200 MPH. There are a lot of little details that have to go into making a good driver on ovals. Just my 2 cents.

Cory M

If the horses crashed more and intentionally spun each other then burst into flames it would probably be the most popular sport in America. Yee-haw!

multi21

The honeymoon is not over yet. Wait and see how Whine Pablo melts down after Billy Bob forgets to torque the lug nuts on his Cup car and it comes off as he is rolling off pit lane. Ahhhhh, the fireworks.

bobt993

David Donahue tried Nascar (truck) and told our RTR members it took him a complete season to even get used to the car setup and start being competitive. Coming from being a road racer and the genetics of a famous Father, I think he is telling us Nascar ain't easy. Now if his Redbull car could just win a race...............

Manny Alban

I've got nothing but love for the Nascar boys. Changed my mind 100% when I did a DE with Blue Ridge Region at Lowes Motor Speedway. BTW, I felt lots more g-force at Lowes than Daytona, especially T4 at Lowes. No data acquisiton, just seat of the pants talking. Made me happy that we didn't actually race, as I was using the whole track on turns in the oval.

Went to a Busch race this summer at Dover. From a spectating point of view, it was more enjoyable than the F1 race at Indy. Got to see the entire track from my seat, was able to rent, quite cheaply, a scanner and headphones with all the drivers frequencies preprogrammed. Took my two sons as well as some other PCAers and we had a blast. Sat right across from the pits and saw (and heard) the strategies. Interesting stuff.

As a fellow latino, I hope Juan Pablo does well, however, I still root for Gordon, Stewart and Johnson whenever I catch a NASCAR race.