Clint Bowyer vs. Juan Pablo Montoya

[dpkimmel2001]

This weeks 'Do not exchange Christmas Card' duo.

Looked like another racing deal to me.

When Clint Bowyer smacked the wall Tuesday after unsuccessfully trying to slide in front of Juan Pablo Montoya, the instructions where clear to his team: Fix the car.

Whether those instructions were delivered so that Bowyer could retaliate against Montoya after Montoya clipped his car or whether to earn a precious point or two for a driver on the Chase bubble could be debated.

What can’t be debated is how upset the two drivers were with each other after the accident, which occurred with 83 laps left in the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Bowyer called Montoya a “jackass” and an “idiot” and said he “sucks.”

That’s about as mad as Bowyer can get. He did get his car back onto the track with about 15 laps remaining, but after two laps, he parked it and walked to his motorhome before the race ended.

“You can’t race around the jackass,” Bowyer said. “You never can. Anybody in this sport knows what you’re up against when the No. 42 [of Montoya] comes up.

“He dive-bombs the starts and bullies his way up in there and before you know it, he’s in the way and wrecking with somebody. And unfortunately, I was the victim this week. It’s just a shame.”

Montoya said he hasn’t had many problems with Bowyer, and that Bowyer acted like Montoya wasn’t even there in driving across the nose of his car.

If Bowyer had the position, Montoya said he would have backed off and not run into the back of him. But he said he isn’t going to allow someone to take a spot from him when he’s already got the position.

Montoya said he believes Bowyer is feeling pressure from being on the verge of missing the Chase For The Sprint Cup and from trying to find a ride for next season as Bowyer has not re-signed with Richard Childress Racing and is talking to several other teams.

“They get all pretty stuck up because they’re trying to get in the Chase and he’s looking for a ride and everything,” Montoya said. “He needs to prove himself more.”

Bowyer might be looking for some payback if he can’t pull off an upset and win this week’s race at Richmond to possibly make the Chase.

Montoya had problems with Ryan Newman earlier this year and while Bowyer might seem less prone to get into confrontations, he seemed pretty fed up with the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver at Atlanta.

Although they haven’t had any rifts recently, they feuded some in Montoya’s first or second Sprint Cup season when Bowyer felt that Montoya was being reckless.

“You can't race that way in this sport, plain and simple, and I'll call him out for it,” Bowyer said. “I think that is how about everybody in the garage knows what they are up against anytime that 42 is around. He is like a pinball out there because he is a bully.

“There has got to be some give and take. You [Montoya] are out there racing for nothing. … It is just frustrating. I knew what I was up against anytime you are racing against him.”

If Montoya and Bowyer don’t make the Chase, expect some payback before the end of the season. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing isn’t one of the teams in the Bowyer sweepstakes, and Bowyer could to take out some frustration on Montoya. Real soon.

From here.

 

[Blaze]

Clint Bowyer is a driver I'm a fan of but right there that just was his own fault. You don't go from low to high across someones nose that's kinda a dumb mistake on his part and hopefully he will see this and not try to get payback. I don't see a thing Montoya could have done to avoid what happened.

 

[MOEJOE]

clint was pist from 10 laps before that stupid slide job.

Juan tapped him in the rear.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

It looked to me like a driver called 'clear' and he wasn't.

 

[SST55]

As we say around here 'not fer nuttin but'

I seem to remember a similar incident a few weeks ago when the "tapper" was almost stoned to death on here for not backing off and letting a car in.

That's all I'm sayin'.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

I seem to remember a similar incident a few weeks ago when the "tapper" was almost stoned to death on here for not backing off and letting a car in.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Sure..... by Kyle Busch fans but that's to be expected when it's your driver getting the boot. I wouldn't expect Bowyer fans to look at this any differently.

 

[FenderBumper]

Sure..... by Kyle Busch fans but that's to be expected when it's your driver getting the boot. I wouldn't expect Bowyer fans to look at this any differently.

There are 2 Bowyer fans that do. Blaze88 and myself.

What I find odd about Bowyers mindset is that he was expecting Montoya to give a whole lot, but said that everyone in the garage knows he never does.

That makes this a huge bonehead move on Clints part.

 

[DJ Rossi]

1000% Montoyas fault.........He wrecked Kahne like that a few weeks ago..

 

[FlFlash]

No it's all Bowyer's fault he should have known Montoya would wreck him

 

[kkfan91]

No it's all Bowyer's fault he should have known Montoya would wreck him

By holding his line off the corner, what was he going to do slam on the brakes, Bowyer wrecked himself.

 

[FlFlash]

By holding his line off the corner, what was he going to do slam on the brakes, Bowyer wrecked himself.

Okay I'll fix my previous statement:
No it's all Bowyer's fault he should have known Montoya would'nt race him clean

or maybe:
No it's all Bowyer's fault he should have known Montoya would'nt give him room to race

A milli second of lift by Montoya and there would'nt have been an incedent.

 

[robbybee]

Clint said it best when he said that he knew who he was racing against. Given the knowledge that Juan Problemo is NOT going to back out of the throttle, it was an idiotic decision on Clint's part to think that he could slide up cleanly.

Could Problemo have lifted? Sure! Just like in the truck race a few weeks ago, Sadler could have lifted and let Pee Wee slide up. But a driver cannot EXPECT another driver to just give up the spot...

Pee Wee was to blame and so was Clint. For him to call Problemo a jackass was just sour grapes, IMO.

 

[FlFlash]

I still feel that a Good driver can see what's going to happen before it happens.
In both Sadlers and Montoyas case's they Knew Kyle and Clint where going to attempt to slide up in front of them and they both chose not to allow it to happen.

Poor racing on both their parts and I'm neither a Busch or Bowyer fan.

 

[katiespapa]

I think is was more of a racing deal. Sometimes 2 cars get to close

 

[HoneyBadger]

I don't know, if you chop block someone, you should expect to be in the wall. That's one thing I like about Montoya, he doesn't lift and give a position to every driver who gets side-by-side with them.

I have a problem with drivers thinking that, if you get near them, they should just lift and give you the position. The way people drive on the streets and how bad I wish I could send them in to a median makes me understand where Stewart's coming from with his blocking speech. If I was driving in NASCAR and you chop blocked me, you'd be in the wall.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

I have a problem with drivers thinking that, if you get near them, they should just lift and give you the position.

Exactly. I never get this way of thought either. You hear these drivers say this time and time again that the other guy should have lifted. I don't get it.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Exactly. I never get this way of thought either. You hear these drivers say this time and time again that the other guy should have lifted. I don't get it.

If anyone should've been more patient, should've been Bowyer. Had he held his line and driven deep in the next corner, he would've cleared Montoya and no problem.

 

[FenderBumper]

Clint said it best when he said that he knew who he was racing against. Given the knowledge that Juan Problemo is NOT going to back out of the throttle, it was an idiotic decision on Clint's part to think that he could slide up cleanly.

Could Problemo have lifted? Sure! Just like in the truck race a few weeks ago, Sadler could have lifted and let Pee Wee slide up. But a driver cannot EXPECT another driver to just give up the spot...

Pee Wee was to blame and so was Clint. For him to call Problemo a jackass was just sour grapes, IMO.

I don't know, if you chop block someone, you should expect to be in the wall. That's one thing I like about Montoya, he doesn't lift and give a position to every driver who gets side-by-side with them.

I have a problem with drivers thinking that, if you get near them, they should just lift and give you the position. The way people drive on the streets and how bad I wish I could send them in to a median makes me understand where Stewart's coming from with his blocking speech. If I was driving in NASCAR and you chop blocked me, you'd be in the wall.

Exactly. I never get this way of thought either. You hear these drivers say this time and time again that the other guy should have lifted. I don't get it.

Those 3 statements say it all. Since I'm drunk from all the beer bangs, I'll keep talking anyway.

From what all the video shows, which isn't much, Montoya was trying to pass Clint, and Bowyer was blocking the low line like crazy. Juan went high and got well inside Bowyer and Bowyer hooked himself on the front 2 feet of Juans car. He wasn't even close to clear.

There was a time when NOBODY would GIVE you more than a couple of inches, and NOBODY would EXPECT more than a couple of inches of lift. It gets to the point where it's not racing anymore. Just because Clint feels his run is more important than Juans is BS, and it's something Clint shouldn't even be considering when deciding what he can take from another driver.

Look at how JJ and JG raced. JJ could have won if he was allowed to dictate to Jeff that he had to lift if Jimmie came within 2 feet of clearing him. How exciting would that finish have been then? They both are professional enough to know better, so they actually raced for the spot and it was a hell of a show.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

Look at how JJ and JG raced. JJ could have won if he was allowed to dictate to Jeff that he had to lift if Jimmie came within 2 feet of clearing him. How exciting would that finish have been then? They both are professional enough to know better, so they actually raced for the spot and it was a hell of a show.

Well said.

 

[FenderBumper]

Well said.

Thanks to Kimmel, I earned me some special salutes.

 

[BobbyFord]

This one was Clint's fault (or his spotter for clearing him when he wasn't) but JPM is still always going to bounce off of or into several cars during every race.

 

[Tennessee Racing]

It was just a racing deal. Clint came up but JPM could've lifted a little and not took him out. Clint should've known he doesn't lift for anyone.

 

[HoneyBadger]

It was just a racing deal. Clint came up but JPM could've lifted a little and not took him out. Clint should've known he doesn't lift for anyone.

Clint causes enough accidents himself, racing four wide and chop blocking, to whine about someone else wrecking people. The whole thing at Darlington with Kevin and Kryle was 100% Bowyer's fault.

 

[FlFlash]

Look at how JJ and JG raced. JJ could have won if he was allowed to dictate to Jeff that he had to lift if Jimmie came within 2 feet of clearing him. How exciting would that finish have been then? They both are professional enough to know better, so they actually raced for the spot and it was a hell of a show.

Thats pretty much my point JJ and JG raced each other clean and with respect gave a lil when they needed to and made no contact over the last several laps, THEY WHERE RACING FOR THE WIN and managed to race CLEAN.

Butt with 80 some laps to go some drivers can't give an inch???

 

[FenderBumper]

Thats pretty much my point JJ and JG raced each other clean and with respect gave a lil when they needed to and made no contact over the last several laps, THEY WHERE RACING FOR THE WIN and managed to race CLEAN.

Butt with 80 some laps to go some drivers can't give an inch???

First of all, Clint was 2 feet and 5 mph short of gaining the outside line. Did you see JJ or Jeff pull a cheap move like that? No. I'm sorry, my definition of racing clean isn't about who can hit the brakes hardest. It's about not playing chicken with another driver in order to take the position from him. Clean racing starts with the respect to make a clean pass. Jeff and JJ did, Bowyer didn't even try.

This whole 'don't race the chase guy' attitude makes me sick. Now we have to hear it for 12 races instead of just 10. With this wildcard format, we may come to a time when half the field can't race for a position after Watkins Glen.

If everyone had to race for THAT position at Daytona, why the hell shouldn't they race for it at Homestead?

 

[kkfan91]

I still feel that a Good driver can see what's going to happen before it happens.
In both Sadlers and Montoyas case's they Knew Kyle and Clint where going to attempt to slide up in front of them and they both chose not to allow it to happen.

Poor racing on both their parts and I'm neither a Busch or Bowyer fan.

Because racing is all about letting the other guy go, geez people complain they don't race enough.

 

[FlFlash]

I've sat in the seat of a race car enough to learn there's a time to let them go and a time to race. Both drivers made poor choices in this instance but Montoya has a long history of being an ass.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

Saw this in a article about Bowyers departure from RCR this morning dealing with his Montoya incident.....

Bowyer did reverse his stance that the wreck was Montoya’s fault.

“I was upset and obviously that was my fault that wreck happened,” Bowyer said. “I was upset [with] what had happened leading up to that; [that] was the biggest thing where my frustration was coming in.”