Why Juan Pablo Montoya Shouldn't Give Up On IndyCar
Juan Pablo Montoya is out as a full-time driver with Team Penske, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have something left for IndyCar. What’s next for JPM?
Juan Pablo Montoya was officially replaced as the driver of IndyCar‘s No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet on Wednesday when the team signed Josef Newgarden. And while there’s been no official word that Montoya is out, JPM feels as good as gone.
But wait, wasn’t this the man who almost won the IndyCar championship a year ago? Who did win the Indianapolis 500 a year ago?
What a difference a year makes.
Asked about Montoya’s fate on a conference call Wednesday, Penske president Tim Cindric said the team was interested in keeping him on in a reduced capacity.
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“We wanted to understand, really, what our options were, and we were very up front with him about that whole situation,” Cindric explained. “And all along, we said that we’d like him to be part of our team in the future.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean driving our No. 2 car full‑time…We’ve got a seat for him at Indy if he wants one, and if we do the sportscar program, we’d like him to be involved in it.
“At that point in time, he said, look, I really want to drive at least another season of IndyCar…and we agreed to just explore different options at that point, which is really what he’s trying to do right now. Finding out if there’s a full season ride available, and we said that our offer is open to him and we’d love for him to continue with our team.
“It’s just something that we needed to decide whether we were going to position ourselves to do that for another year and miss the opportunity to have Josef as part of our team for the future.”
From a business standpoint IndyCar fans can understand the Penske position. It’s a non-racing decision, pure and simple. They wanted to go out and secure Newgarden while he was available – before Andretti might have gone after him if Alexander Rossi had decided to leave, or Ganassi could’ve chased him if it was willing to part with Tony Kanaan.
They were betting on the young talent they can control for a few years, whereas Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves might retire in a few years. And between the two of those veteran drivers, Montoya was the more expendable. He had the more difficult year on track and he’s not as marketable as Castroneves, who’s won Dancing with the Stars and is constantly outgoing.
So in the battle of Josef Newgarden versus Juan Pablo Montoya, Newgarden won.
But if you’re Juan Pablo Montoya, it’s also hard not to feel a little slapped in the face at the moment. Your team has just replaced you with a younger model, but wants you to consider sticking around for an Indianapolis-only drive or maybe helping them with their other program. If your company took your job away from you, would you want to hang around the office? Probably not.
Montoya wants a full-time IndyCar drive – and he deserves one if the right one is available.
He can still win races, still contend for championships, and the value of his experience can’t be overlooked either. There are teams with open seats that could benefit from his presence. The rumor is that KVSH Racing will lose Sebastien Bourdais to Dale Coyne Racing, and A.J. Foyt is considering replacing both of his drivers in 2017. Oh, and Ed Carpenter Racing just had a car open up, too.
Whether he wants to race one more year or three more years, having Montoya could stabilize a team and get it on the right track. There’s a lot that can be learned – and accomplished – in one season. Ask Rossi about that. And Montoya himself hasn’t said he’ll definitely leave after 2017; what if he gets a second wind next year and decides to stick around?
The decision that was made on Wednesday wasn’t reflective of Juan Pablo Montoya’s racing ability, or at least not enough that it’s stopping Team Penske from wanting to hold onto him. So if he can still race in IndyCar, why shouldn’t he still be racing full-time in IndyCar?
Hopefully Montoya will get some clarity about his 2017 situation in short order. One rough season should not define his career and certainly isn’t the note he’d want to go out on. He’s earned a team taking a chance on him – and how intriguing would it be if Montoya moved to ECR and flipped roles with the young driver who took his seat?
We’ll have to see where he lands, but if he doesn’t want to leave the grid, he shouldn’t have to be the odd man out.
Do you think Juan Pablo Montoya will be racing full-time in IndyCar next season?
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