Stealthblue

Shocking as it is, Montoya is going to drive Nascar in 2007.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/28230/

In an interview in Speed he mentioned he wanted to get back to "racing", that if you bumped a wheel in formula one you would be considered an animal.

ImolaRedM

NASCAR is the racing equivalent of watching 5 year olds play Soccer/Football. I hope he can retire on the pay. :thumbsdown:

swajames

I was at the F1GP at Indianapolis last week where he (effectively) started the sequence of events that took out 7 cars on the first corner. I like him as a driver but JPM's been bumping more than just the odd wheel whilst he's been in F1......

Rudy

Wow, that's pretty wild news.

I wonder how the "good old boys" are going to like having a real-life "furriner" driving circles around them?

LowOrbit

How interesting. Jeff Gordon, a top NASCAR driver, was interviewed during the U.S. F1 race and said he would love to jump to F1 if he could join a top flight team and went on about how he was impressed by F1 cars and F1 drivers' stamina and driving abilities.

I still can't understand the attraction of watching NASCAR vs. F1, but I am in the minority among Americans. I hope Jeff does get a ride and American NASCAR fans follow him to F1. F1 races are currently woefully lacking in redneck diversity!

Rudy

My favorite quote from JPM was after he'd test driven Gordon's stock car...

"This car could go faster with better brakes!"

swajames

Never really been a fan of NASCAR but I have to say that Jeff Gordon is an absolutely top guy and a phenomenal driver. Anyone see the show on Speed where he and JPM traded cars? Jeff got pretty close to JPM's time in the F1 car. If F1 is serious about raising its profile in the US then getting Jeff on board would be huge. Can't see it happening but I'd love to see Jeff in F1. Scott Speed definitely looks like a decent prospect in the Torro Rosso but he's clearly one for the future. Just hoping Tony George can sort out the details so I'm able to go back to Indy for the GP next year!!

And don't get me started on Ecclestone......

ericdbs

humm... there will be a planned exhibition with some nascar drivers swapping cars with some top drift cars sometime in the next 2 months... this wll be interesting ...will let you know when the date get finalized..

Wilchwitz

I've always been a road racing and F1 fan but there is a lot to be said for the show that NASCAR puts on. When they are in the last laps of a 500 mile race and there are still 20 cars within 10 seconds of the lead it makes for pretty good racing. But if you are looking for the latest technology, NASCAR is not the place for you. They're still using carburetors for cryin' out loud!

With F1 you get the latest technology (at least until Mosley gets his way) the international bling and the cool locations. But you seldom get good, tough wheel-to-wheel action after the first two laps.

With NASCAR there is low technology, about 40 races a year and they race all the way to the checkered flag. The top drivers in each series are really good and its hard to make a comparison. Driving a F1 car at the limit takes great skill and finesse. But so does balancing a 3000 pound stock car on the edge of adhesion at 180 mph.

Drivers going from F1 to NASCAR is not unknown but in the past it was usually for one off races and not the entire season. Guys like Gurney did it and won. Also in the 60's the great Jimmy Clark once drove at Daytona if memory serves. I think if anyone can pull it off it will be Montoya. He is a real wheel banging racer and his style suits NASCAR pretty good.

So it should be interesting next year. I am going to watch and enjoy since I like all types of racing.

VIIV

I'm tired of hearing Gordon say he'd love to be in F1, if only....He made his choice for fenders a long time ago. He'd never risk the drop in pay (inclusive of his US endorsements) now, and his F1 time has passed. NASCAR fans would never follow him to F1, or if they would they wouldn't stay after the first race. It's a very different show in F1. Not necessarily better or worse, just not what they'd be used to.