“I have changed a lot of my driving style the last year, and that has helped me a lot.”
—South Florida resident Juan Pablo Montoya, who qualified 7th for tomorrow’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono
South Florida-resident Juan Pablo Montoya has 13 races to lock in a Chase “playoff” bid and qualify for this season’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship run, which culminates Nov. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the crowing of the 2010 Champion. His next opportunity to gain points comes tomorrow, in Race 14 of 36 en route to Miami.
“It’s very challenging because it’s really old asphalt and it’s really bumpy, and every corner is different,” Montoya said of racing at Pocono. “So to get the car right is really hard; I mean, it’s really hard.”
This year, Montoya has started all 13 races of the Sprint Cup season but has fallen victim to an inordinate amount of engine issues and on-track tangling—which makes the following stat all the more remarkable: In the six races in which he has completed all scheduled laps, South Florida’s hometown’er has recorded a phenomenal four Top 5s and two Top 10s. The four Top 5s ties him for seventh-best in the series, and his average start of 14.2 is among the Sprint Cup’s Top 11 drivers.
That said, the driver of the No. 42 needs to be in the Top 12 overall points to make the Chase cut-off on Sept. 11. It is worth noting that a year ago, he rattled off nine Top 10s in a span of 14 races to vault from 15th to a Chase spot.
Sunday’s race at Pocono (1 p.m., TNT) is Race 14 of 36 en route to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 19-21).