Frontstretch Poll for the Week of November 13 - Juan Pablo Montoya

[KurtBuschFan]

Montoya’s Quotes on Saturday…

It’s tough passing these guys — they seem like they don’t see you, they just sort of play dumb. When you run up front, the guy up front runs a lot cleaner, a lot smarter. The guys in the back are just too dumb. I’m trying to keep the car in one piece and its very hard, because, yes, I am a rookie — but no, I am not a rookie. I have probably more experience in this grade, I’ve driven more things than anybody here. I am being smart, I am trying not to cause any wrecks or anything, but it’s got to stop…

Mike and Tom tell you what they think:

Mike:  Juan Pablo Montoya makes his Cup debut this weekend. It will be his first experience as a rookie in the highest series of NASCAR racing, but don’t be fooled; Montoya is a very experienced race driver. He is an Indianapolis 500 Champion and the youngest champion in the history of Champ Car…and that’s not to mention he has seven wins in Formula One. In the eyes of NASCAR, though…he is a rookie.

Tom:  Looking back at Juan Pablo Montoya’s comments from last Saturday, one thing is clear : this guy didn’t come to NASCAR to mess around. His unfettered ego and booming confidence not only makes him ready and willing to say whatever is on his mind; it gives him the ability to turn politically incorrect faster than you can blink.

http://www.frontstretch.com/wtc/6220/

[nascarbabe2U]

Ya know I don't know much about this Montoya character but boy howdy do I like sayin his  name.....makes me feel all warm & fuzzy.....

[KurtBuschFan]

I dont know...I think at first he'll have some troubles not being accepted by the crowd because of his attitude.  But then he'll get knocked down a couple notches and straigten up a bit.  He'll probably become a guy we love to hate...but I think he needs to keep his mouth shut until he knows how he's gonna do with the cup guys.

[nascarbabe2U]

I agree that’s not a good thing to walk into any new area, game, chase, etc, with an attitude… it’s not proper, nor polite and makes you look like a jerk racing or no racing.

[smyler]

No offense to those that disagree, but you have to admit there are a lot of field fillers in the top tiers of NASCAR.  So many teams just don't have the resources to compete.  I'm not saying I think there should be a minimum speed limit or some such thing, but Juan Pablo had a point.  We are supposed to be looking at the best stock car racing on the planet and we have people who often only run five or fewer laps before they go back to the garages, at least that is the way it is in Cup.  Why do we have to pretend that this isn't the case?

In F1, the cars are ALL competitive.  It is crazy to imagine a under funded team there.  I'm not saying they are all equal, but at least they are all capable of winning, if they have the right driver.  That isn't the case in Cup.  Can you imagine Kenny Wallace winning, forget that, finishing over 1/2 of the races on the lead lap?  It isn't because he isn't an ok driver that he sucks, it is because he doesn't have good equipment.

I guess it's kind of like pretending that you don't have an ugly girlfriend.  Your ego gets involved so sometimes you stay with it just because you don't want to be embarrassed.  The facts are there for anyone to see.  I'm also not saying that the field fillers should always just lay down for the faster cars, but they also should not be upset if they get punted if they try to block.

I'm sure I said plenty to offend, but I hope you will think about your favorite bottom tier driver and ask yourself if he really should be out there on any given Sunday.  I like D. Cope.  I have met him and he was a nice guy.  He has no business running with the equipment he has though.  Do you remember last year in Darlington when Jeff was coming round the corner and a field filler pulled down in front of him?  Do you think that was cool or fair of him to take out a top tier car?  Pretend it was your favorite driver instead of Jeff. 

I think the problem will be lesser now that Toyota is coming.  More teams will be racing for the same number of spots, so fewer of these field filler types will be able to make it.  Again, Morgan Shepard is said to be a great guy, but do you think it is right that he runs 2 laps, goes to the garage and collects $50K? 

What do you think?  Do you disagree?