Ganassi signs JPM to drive the #42

buckaroo

buckaroo

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Just read that Chip has signed Juan Pablo Montoya to drive the #42 next year. JPM has no NASCAR experience and is said to be the first F1 driver to compete in the top NASCAR series.

Seems as though the news is getting around the world that NASCAR just might be the best place to go racing. If Jacque V. comes on board, and with Paul Tracy seemingly very interested in the series with his Busch attempts, we could really be talking about a world-wide attempt by France to get this thing around the world. Could we some day see something like the F1 touring series with NASCAR? Might be pretty interesting if that ever came about, but that would be a long way off and who knows how long the series can ride this crest.
 
may we be looking at IASCAR instead of NASCAR? I'd prefer if Mexico and Canada were the only international races.
 
I believe Christian Fittibaldi was the first. F1 to CART to NASCAR.

Bottom line? I bet Montoya has sponsor money. Villeneuve and Tracy don't. IMO.
 
I see this car struggling to stay in the top 35 next year
 
buckaroo said:
Just read that Chip has signed Juan Pablo Montoya to drive the #42 next year. JPM has no NASCAR experience and is said to be the first F1 driver to compete in the top NASCAR series.

That oughta go over like a cement duck.
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bumpzter said:
I believe Christian Fittibaldi was the first. F1 to CART to NASCAR.

Bottom line? I bet Montoya has sponsor money. Villeneuve and Tracy don't. IMO.
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Did Christian drive in F1? Not sure about that one, but could have been.

I do know that of course, Mario Andretti drove and won in F1 and also a race in NASCAR, but that was in the early days and Mario didn't drive the entire circuit.
 
buckaroo said:
Did Christian drive in F1? Not sure about that one, but could have been. .
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He did, buck. Early 90's. For maybe 3 or 4 years. I believe he drove Minardis. Of course never a front runner like Montoya.
 
steveluvs3 said:
I see this car struggling to stay in the top 35 next year
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i dunno about that...JPM is one helluva a driver....CART Champion and has done pretty darn good in F1...
 
Coming to NASCAR from F1 is quite similar to an FA Premier League (England) soccer player coming here to work in the MLS. The money just isn't here. Montoya is taking a salary cut of nearly two-thirds by some estimations. Bigger name players like Rooney, Beckham (Spanish League), and Cafu` (Italian Serie A) have said they'd like to retire playing in the MLS because of the advantages of the shorter schedule, and playing in the states. So, maybe retiring drivers.

Compare it to taking a pay cut to work someplace with better benefits? I don't think you can compare it to better working conditions - F1 is the biggest thing in the world. NASCAR, by comparison, is regional at best. I think this will be a isolated event until NASCAR drivers start making some real money in juxtaposition.

- k y l e
 
Think about it. Taking a huge paycut to go to a racing series with a much longer, more grueling schedule, much harder racing (and close quarters too), and other differences.
 
Magnethead said:
Think about it. Taking a huge paycut to go to a racing series with a much longer, more grueling schedule, much harder racing (and close quarters too), and other differences.
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That's my point, the 'benefits' being it rewards his hard driving style. I think this is a seriously isolated event. There's just no real advantage to leaving F1 for NASCAR, period.

- k y l e
 
JPM more or less got fired from what i can decifer from all the articles on the internet. It seems he went to Chip or vice versa out of desperation. I could be reading more into this than there really is, but i think CGR is really down and out right now. When your best driver is leaving and your other driver is a rookie with little experieince you tend to grab anything you can get. Not to mention Streme, which i won't, because his performance is so poor he shouldn't even be in CTS. Oops i mentioned him...my bad..lol. ;)
 
Could Montoya be dropped from F-1 ride? UPDATE out: The Spanish TV station Tele 5, which broadcasts F1 races is reporting that Juan Pablo Montoya may be dropped by McLaren and replaced for the rest of the year by Pedro de la Rosa. There is a certain amount of logic in all of this as Montoya wants to start preparations to go into NASCAR as soon as he can. The key point in all this is that McLaren is partially-owned by DaimlerChrysler and Montoya will be driving next year in a Dodge, an American brand also owned by DaimlerChrysler. Thus it makes sense for let Montoya get on with his new project and not force him to stay on racing in a series where he has no future and little to gain. All that is really needed is some kind of a financial settlement. De la Rosa should be able to score points, as he did when Montoya was out with injury last year, and he is sure to be highly motivated as he wants to convince the team that he is the best man to be Fernando Alonso's team mate next year.(grandprix.com) (7-10-2006) UPDATE: Juan Pablo Montoya’s Formula 1 career may be over sooner than anybody thought after McLaren announced on Tuesday morning that the Colombian will play no further part in the 2006 season. The team issued a statement saying that test driver Pedro de la Rosa will take Montoya’s place in the second race seat alongside Kimi Raikkonen with immediate effect, starting from this weekend’s French Grand Prix. McLaren said Montoya’s departure was by mutual agreement to enable him to adjust to his new life in NASCAR.(itv-f1.com)
 
Montoya Released From F-1 Ride
Juan Pablo Montoya can get started on his NASCAR career a little early. In an expected move, F1 team McLaren announced Tuesday that driver Pedro de la Rosa would replace Montoya in the seat of the team's car, effective immediately. It had been widely speculated that Montoya would be released from his obligations with the Formula One team early in order to begin his new career in NASCAR. Montoya shocked the racing world by announcing this past weekend that he would leave F1 to join Chip Ganassi's Nextel Cup team. Montoya previously drove for Ganassi in the CART series.

"Juan Pablo is an exciting driver and immensely likeable character who will undoubtedly make a successful transition to the NASCAR scene," said Ron Dennis, McLaren CEO and chairman. "We have agreed that with so many things happening in Juan Pablo's life right now, he should take some time out of the car and prepare professionally and personally for the future."

The move allows Montoya, who lives in Miami with his family and wife Connie – who is pregnant with the couple's second child (due in September) – to begin testing immediately with his new NASCAR team.(Yahoo Sports)
 
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