Juan Pablo Montoya (JPM) is
undoubtedly a talented, multi-faceted driver but I have to wonder why, after he won ONE Busch race in Mexico,
did the media fall head over heels in love with him? Headlines read weekly: “Where’s Juan?” and my first
thought is: ‘Who cares?!’ Granted he’s won another road course since then in the States, but Juan’s
doing what he loves to do and does fairly well – race! He’s done it in the IRL, CART and Formula One quite
successfully, being the ONLY active driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 and
the Monaco Grand Prix. Why is the media so amazed that for the most part he can handle NASCAR? Chip Ganassi knew all he had
to do was convince JPM to get into a stock car and he’d figure it out fairly quick. Sure, there’s a learning curve,
but like Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dave Blaney and others who have adapted, Montoya will too. Of course, several drivers
sure wish he’d learn real soon! So, what’s the big deal about Montoya?
Diversity, JPM represents
the current buzzword for NASCAR by virtue of his Hispanic heritage. His name allows the media all kinds of creative plays
on words like ‘Juan being the “one”’ and the triple name rolls off tongues with an exotic flair uncommon
to NASCAR. Prior to Montoya, if a driver had three parts to his name in NASCAR, it usually meant he was a “Jr.”
Juan Pablo Montoya isn’t a good ol’ boy name by any stretch of the imagination and that attracts a whole new fan
base to the sport. Everyone knows NASCAR is all about marketing their fan bases! Thanks to Montoya coming to NASCAR, the market
is huge, multicultural and politically correct with perfect timing.
Coming to NASCAR has
been reportedly a uniquely wonderful experience for Juan and his wife. They have stated they were used to a much more isolated
atmosphere in the other motorsports divisions and are really enjoying the family-like friendliness of NASCAR’s style. Naturally,
there’s already been some “sibling rivalries” sparked, whether real or conjured up by the media and fans
remains to be seen, but nonetheless that just increases interest in the sport and sells tickets. Fans who used to watch JPM
in the other divisions are now watching him in NASCAR. Hispanics who are mildly interested in stock car racing now have someone
they can relate to and cheer for. Mexico
and Latin America now have a driver they can cheer on. All in all, it’s win/win and big pluses
for NASCAR while the media laps it all up.
So, are there any drawbacks
with Montoya? Yes. The most basic problem he’s experiencing appears to be his “learning curve” in the sport.
Being highly competitive and accustomed to winning, Montoya comes out strong and aggressive before he fully realizes what
his car is going to do in various circumstances. Rookie mistakes are more profound with a driver like Montoya because he’s
charging harder without the experience to temper his intentions in the car. In turn, this makes him a liability to most of
the other drivers on the track, such as he was at Daytona for the Pepsi 400. In the long run, this may make it harder for
him to fit in amongst fellow drivers who fall victim to his rookie errors.
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Yet, inadvertently Juan Pablo
Montoya has become NASCAR’s poster boy for diversity as if to say “See, we’re not just a bunch of white,
good ol’ boys anymore.” Doesn’t the media realize how insulting it is to focus on him so much because he’s
Hispanic? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on him when he’s accomplished something, rather than to bring attention
to him when he does anything simply because he’s new and “different.”
If this is how the media wants
to treat him, treat ALL the rookies the same way with the same amount of media time so it’s equal exposure for all of
the rookies. Instead of “Where’s Juan?” the media could have the “Rookie’s Reality” every
week, focusing on each rookie’s performance and progress. Certainly their sponsors wouldn’t mind as they usually
get less camera time on the track anyhow. Reserve the limelight for the truly deserving. Montoya is very capable of winning
any given weekend. Let the media focus on his accomplishments when there’s something to talk about. At this point
in his NASCAR career, he’s doing enough wrong to keep enough folks talking all season without any extra focus from the
media.
Where’s Juan? He’s
still learning the ins and outs of racing in NASCAR.
2006 StockCar Review.
