Juan Pablo Montoya

Born:

September 20 1975

Nationality:

Colombia

First race:

Homestead, 1999

Races:

Wins:

Race Win %:

15.46%

About Juan Pablo Montoya

Biography

Performance by Circuit Type

Wins

Results

Biography

Juan Pablo Montoya is a Colombian driver who raced in a total of 97 IndyCar races between 1999 and 2022. In 1999, he won the championship as a rookie and also won the Indy 500 in both 2000 and 2015.

Early Years and Breakthrough

Montoya is one of the few drivers who has raced in Formula 1, IndyCar, CART, and NASCAR. Like many others, he started his career in karting. In the early 1990s, he raced in several Colombian karting series, where he achieved many wins. In 1995, Montoya moved to the British Formula Vauxhall Series, and in 1996, he joined British Formula 3 with the Fortec team, where he also scored multiple victories.

Move to F3000 and Formula 1

In 1997, Montoya transitioned to the F3000 series, where he raced for two years. During that time, he secured seven wins, culminating in the championship title in 1998. Alongside his F3000 testing, Montoya also drove the Williams F1 car, the team he would join in 1999 to race in the top tier of motorsport. However, due to financial reasons, a driver swap occurred with the CART team of Chip Ganassi. Two-time CART champion Alessandro Zanardi moved to Williams, and Montoya joined Ganassi's Target team, which proved to be a great move for him. Zanardi struggled with Williams, but Montoya won the 1999 CART championship with seven victories.

Indy 500 Win and Formula 1 Career

In 2000, during a slightly less successful season in CART, Montoya and Chip Ganassi made an appearance in the Indy Racing League for the Indianapolis 500. Although he narrowly missed the pole position, he dominated the race and won the prestigious 500-mile event. In 2001, Montoya finally joined Williams in Formula 1. During his four years with the team, he secured four race wins. In the middle two years, Montoya finished third in the championship, but a series of retirements prevented him from winning the title. In 2005, he moved to McLaren, but despite three victories, he finished the season in fourth place. In mid-2006, Montoya left F1 to race in various NASCAR series for Chip Ganassi.

NASCAR Career

From 2007 to 2013, Juan Pablo Montoya raced for Ganassi in the NASCAR Cup Series, participating in 253 races, and in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he raced 24 times. However, Montoya achieved only a limited number of notable results in both series. In addition to his NASCAR races, Montoya competed seven times in the 24 Hours of Daytona, where he won the race in 2007, 2008, and 2013.

Return to IndyCar

In 2014, after a 14-year absence, Juan Pablo Montoya returned to the IndyCar Series. He raced the entire NTT IndyCar Series season for Team Penske, and his comeback proved to be a success right from the start. The former Formula 1 driver achieved nine top-ten finishes, including a win at Pocono Raceway, a race he started from pole position. Montoya finished his first IndyCar season since 2000 in a respectable fourth place. Additionally, he raced two NASCAR events for Penske in Michigan and Indianapolis.

2015: The Fairytale Season

In 2015, a long-awaited fairytale seemed to be unfolding for Montoya. He achieved thirteen top-ten finishes from sixteen races and won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in his career. Montoya also led the championship for most of the season. In addition to the Indy 500, he won the season opener in St. Petersburg. However, during the finale at Sonoma Raceway, where double points were awarded, Montoya encountered an unfortunate situation. He was involved in an incident with teammate Will Power, who was also a championship contender. Montoya finished the race in sixth, while Scott Dixon won the event. Dixon, with the same points as Montoya, had one more win, and as a result, Montoya lost the title in the final moments, settling for second place.

2016: More Challenges

In 2016, Montoya began the season the same way he did the previous year—with a victory in St. Petersburg. During the second race at Phoenix Raceway, he seemed unbeatable for much of the event until a puncture ruined his chances. The rest of the season didn’t go as well for Montoya, with a major low being a last-place finish in the 100th Indianapolis 500 after he was the first to crash out. He finished the season eighth in the standings, with ten top-ten finishes, one win, and podiums in Detroit and Sonoma. Due to Josef Newgarden's strong performance with Ed Carpenter Racing, Roger Penske decided to place Montoya in his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program with Acura, opening up a spot for Newgarden at Team Penske in IndyCar.

Development Year and IMSA Success

In 2017, Montoya focused primarily on developing race cars. In addition to working on the Acura Team Penske car, he was also involved in developing the new IndyCar aerokit that debuted in 2018. In May 2017, Penske provided Montoya with an extra car so he could remain competitive. In the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, he finished tenth, and during the Indianapolis 500, he finished sixth after starting eighteenth. He concluded the season by participating in the Petit Le Mans, where he finished third.

IMSA Title and Further Success

From 2018 to 2020, Montoya raced full-time for Acura Team Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Over these three seasons, he secured fourteen podium finishes and won the championship in 2019 with three victories. In 2020, both Juan Pablo Montoya and Hélio Castroneves were informed that they would be seeking new teams for 2021. However, Montoya quickly found opportunities in multiple racing categories. He competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring for Meyer Shank Racing and made his return to the NTT IndyCar Series in May of the same year. Montoya raced both the GMR Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 for Arrow McLaren SP, finishing ninth in the 500-mile race.

Final Indy 500

The 2022 season marked Montoya's final Indy 500. Despite starting the race in 30th place, he drove a strong race, ultimately finishing in eleventh place. This race marked the end of Montoya's IndyCar career.

Performance by Circuit Type

Type	Races	Avg Finish	Wins	Race Win %
Oval	37	7.7838	8	21.62%
Streetcourse	32	11.8125	5	15.63%
Roadcourse	26	10.7692	1	3.85%
Airfield	2	3.5000	1	50%

Wins

#	Jaar	Date (ET)	Race	Type
1	1999	April 18	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse
2	1999	May 2	Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Nazareth	Oval
3	1999	May 15	Grand Prix Telemar Rio 200 Rio de Janeiro	Streetcourse
4	1999	June 27	Medic Drug Grand Prix Cleveland	Airfield
5	1999	August 15	Miller Lite 200 Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse
6	1999	August 22	Chicago Grand Prix Chicago	Oval
7	1999	September 5	Molson Indy Vancouver Vancouver	Streetcourse
8	2000	May 28	Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval
9	2000	June 5	Milwaukee Milwaukee Mile	Oval
10	2000	July 23	Michican Michigan International Raceway	Oval
11	2000	September 17	Gateway Gateway	Oval
12	2014	July 6	Pocono IndyCar 500 Fueled by Sunoco Pocono	Oval
13	2015	March 29	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse
14	2015	May 24	99th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval
15	2016	March 13	Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse

Results

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
1999
March 21	Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Homestead	Oval	10
April 9	Firestone Firehawk 500 Motegi Oval	Oval	13
April 18	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	1
May 2	Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Nazareth	Oval	1
May 15	Grand Prix Telemar Rio 200 Rio de Janeiro	Streetcourse	1
May 29	Motorola 300 Gateway	Oval	11
June 6	Miller Lite 225 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	10
June 20	Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Portland	Roadcourse	2
June 27	Medic Drug Grand Prix Cleveland	Airfield	1
July 11	Texaco/Havoline 200 Road America	Roadcourse	13
July 18	Molson Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	22
July 25	U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota Michigan International Raceway	Oval	2
August 8	ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	17
August 15	Miller Lite 200 Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	1
August 22	Chicago Grand Prix Chicago	Oval	1
September 5	Molson Indy Vancouver Vancouver	Streetcourse	1
September 12	Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	8
September 26	Texaco Grand Prix of Houston Houston	Streetcourse	25
August 17	Honda Indy Surfers Paradise	Streetcourse	16
November 1	Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota Fontana	Oval	4

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2000
March 26	Homestead Homestead	Oval	23
April 16	Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	19
April 30	Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro	Streetcourse	22
May 28	Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	1
May 14	Japan Motegi Oval	Oval	7
May 27	Nazareth Nazareth	Oval	4
June 5	Milwaukee Milwaukee Mile	Oval	1
June 18	Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	18
June 25	Portland Portland	Roadcourse	17
July 2	Cleveland Cleveland	Airfield	6
July 16	Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	24
July 23	Michican Michigan International Raceway	Oval	1
July 30	Chicago Chicago	Oval	12
August 13	Mid Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	24
August 20	Road America Road America	Roadcourse	15
September 3	Vancouver Vancouver	Streetcourse	17
September 10	Laguna Seca Laguna Seca	Roadcourse	6
September 17	Gateway Gateway	Oval	1
October 1	Houston Houston	Streetcourse	2
October 15	Australia Surfers Paradise	Streetcourse	24
October 30	Fontana Fontana	Oval	10

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2014
March 30	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	15
April 13	40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	4
April 27	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	21
May 10	Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	16
May 25	98th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race Indianapolis	Oval	5
May 31	Chevrolet/Cadillac Grand Prix of Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	12
June 1	Chevrolet/Cadillac Grand Prix of Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	13
June 7	Firestone 600 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	3
June 28	Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Houston	Streetcourse	2
June 29	Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Houston	Streetcourse	7
July 6	Pocono IndyCar 500 Fueled by Sunoco Pocono	Oval	1
July 12	Iowa Corn Indy 300 Iowa Speedway	Oval	16
July 20	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	18
July 20	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	19
August 3	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	11
August 17	ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	2
August 24	GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Sonoma Raceway	Roadcourse	5
August 30	MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships Fontana	Oval	4

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2015
March 29	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	1
April 12	Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana NOLA Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	5
April 19	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	3
April 26	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	14
May 9	Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	3
May 24	99th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	1
May 30	Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	10
May 31	Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	10
June 6	Firestone 600 Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	4
June 14	Honda Indy Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	7
June 27	MAVTV 500 Fontana	Oval	4
July 12	ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 Milwaukee Mile	Oval	4
July 18	Iowa Corn Indy 300 Iowa Speedway	Oval	24
August 2	Honda Indy 200 Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	11
August 23	ABC Supply 500 Pocono	Oval	3
August 30	Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Sonoma Raceway	Roadcourse	6

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2016
March 13	Grand Prix of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg	Streetcourse	1
April 2	Phoenix International Speedway Phoenix Raceway	Oval	9
April 17	Grand Prix of Long Beach Long Beach	Streetcourse	4
April 24	Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park	Roadcourse	5
May 14	Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	8
May 29	100th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	33
June 4	Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	3
June 5	Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Detroit Belle Isle	Streetcourse	20
June 26	Road America Road America	Roadcourse	7
July 10	Iowa Corn 300 Iowa Speedway	Oval	20
July 17	Streets of Toronto Toronto	Streetcourse	20
July 31	Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio	Roadcourse	11
August 22	Pocono Raceway Pocono	Oval	8
August 27	Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway	Oval	9
September 4	Watkins Glen Watkins Glen	Roadcourse	13
September 18	Grand Prix of Sonoma Sonoma Raceway	Roadcourse	3

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2017
May 13	Grand Prix of Indianapolis Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	10
May 28	Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Indianapolis	Oval	6

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2021
May 15	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	21
May 30	105th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	9

Date (ET)	Race	Type	FP
2022
May 14	GMR Grand Prix Indianapolis Road Course	Roadcourse	24
May 29	106th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis	Oval	11