King of All Media?
Cup Scene Daily, January 18
Howard Stern once proclaimed himself the “king of all media”. This year we might very well bestow that title on one Juan Pablo Montoya. Seemingly, wherever JPM goes, a throng of media members follows, eagerly asking their questions and scribbling on note pads.
How delicious is this story? The announcement that Montoya would run the entire Cup series in ‘07 was definitely a home run for NASCAR’s diversity program. This Colombian, ex-Formula 1 star is trying his hand at stock car racing, potentially bringing a legion of fans with him. Brian France could not have asked for a better situation (unless Danica Patrick had come over too).
When the sports car world descends on Daytona for the Rolex 24, it’s a good bet that the media will be there in greater numbers than in years past. Not only is Jeff Gordon competing in the race for the first time, he’s in one of the most competitive cars on the circuit, teamed up with former winners Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor in the #10 Suntrust Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype.
Reigning Nextel Cup champ Jimmie Johnson will be there, as will two-time champion, Tony Stewart. There are many other drivers with NASCAR ties in the field including Scott Pruett, AJ Allmendinger, Bill Lester, Bobby Labonte, Sam Hornish Jr., Boris Said and Wally Dallenbach, as well as several big names from American open-wheel racing such as Scott Pruett, Eddie Cheever Jr., Dan Wheldon and Paul Tracy.
That said, the big story will likely be Montoya. Driving the #01 Telmex Lexus Riley in the Daytona Prototype class for Chip Ganassi, Juan will share the wheel of one of the strongest cars in the field. He will split the driving duties with veteran Scott Pruett and Salvador Duran in the team car to the #02 Target Lexus Riley that won the overall title for Ganassi last year.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona is obviously a race of endurance, taxing the drivers and equipment to their limits. Should the #01 Ganassi team be able to keep their car in one piece throughout the night, they should have a legitimate shot at the win. There’s no doubt that Juan’s skill on road courses could pay big dividends for them.
Even though the cars and course are different, the race still gives Montoya the benefit of more track time at the World Center of Racing. The road course at Daytona makes use of the 31 degree banks on both ends of the speedway, most of the backstretch as well as part of the front straightaway, before making a hard left turn just past the exit of pit road to enter the infield section.
Expect lots of pre-race interviews with Montoya. He’s likely to spend almost as much time with microphones and cameras in his face that weekend than he will with a steering wheel in his hands.
Even with all the attention Juan will get the weekend of the Rolex 24, it will pale to the amount he will get leading up to the Daytona 500. The new “media king” will definitely have a full plate during pole qualifying and the 150s. His #42 Dodge was fast during January testing and even though the competition is typically faster when they come back in February, Montoya could likely end up with a good starting spot for the 500.
No doubt, his exploits will be well documented, and if he happens to run up front in the Daytona 500, his face time will increase even more. What if he pulls off the unthinkable and actually wins the race?
We are talking about the guy who won the Indy 500 in his first try, remember?
Montoya mania will be huge for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Texaco / Havoline, and all the team’s associate sponsors. If Juan is able to run well in the races this season with a minimum of mangled equipment, all the better.
This is definitely not meant as a swipe at the media. They have pages and airtime to fill and I love reading it, listening to it and watching it.
In fact, I’ll be right there in the crowd with my microphone as well.