Juan Pablo Montoya 2010 Fantasy NASCAR Preview

[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=juan+pablo+montoya&iid=7811435″ src=”3/3/6/1/Daytona_500_Practice_4c0a.jpg?adImageId=9955176&imageId=7811435″ width=”234″ height=”169″ /]Juan Pablo Montoya

2009 Stats: Points Finish 8th, 2 Poles, 0 Wins, 7 Top Fives, 18 Top Tens, Average Finish 13.6, Average Position 13.5, 388 Laps Led, 93.6 Driver Rating

Juan Pablo Montoya did exactly what he said he would do last year. He drove conservatively to get into the Chase and once it started he kicked it into high gear. Montoya and the 42 team were unquestionably one of the most impressive teams in the Chase. He ran strong everywhere and if it wasn’t for problems in races where he was competitive (Lowes, Homestead, Texas) then he would’ve had a strong possibility of battling Mark Martin for second in points.

For some reason many fans always bet against Montoya. They expected him to miss the Chase last year (wrong). He’s their early 2010 pick for a driver who will miss the Chase (wrong again). I’ll tell you this right now, don’t bet against Montoya.

Strengths- Montoya is a strong driver everywhere. Even though he didn’t  win last year he’s proven that he’s capable of being a front runner at any track. Montoya is also an extremely consistent driver who avoids problems for the most part.

Weakness- I wouldn’t really call this much of a weakness but Montoya wasn’t the most consistent driver on the restrictor plate tracks last season.

Intermediate Track Grade- A-, Montoya was extremely strong at the intermediate tracks starting at about the midpoint of 2009. Right now he’s the best in the business when it comes to running the high line. His ability at these tracks might get overshadowed because he had problems late in the season at Lowes, Texas, and Homestead. He was extremely competitive at all three of these races. When he didn’t have problems he almost always was a lock for a top 10.

Flat Track Grade- A-, The 42 really excelled at these tracks in 2009. Other then the first flat track race of the season (Phoenix) Montoya never finished worse then 12th. Montoya had the car to beat at Indy until he was caught speeding down pit road late in the race.

Short Track Grade- B+, Montoya is a good pick for all three short tracks. Most people don’t think of him as a good short track driver but he had a top ten at every short track in 2009.

Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B, As I mentioned previously this was only a minor weakness for Montoya last year. Montoya avoided problems at Daytona better then he did at Talladega last year. His average finish at Daytona last year was 11.5 and his average finish at Talladega was 19.5.

Road Course Track Grade- A, Everyone knows how good he’s at these tracks. Last season he finished 6th at both Infineon and Watkins Glen.

How to use Juan Pablo Montoya from a fantasy racing perspective in 2010?

Montoya is a versatile driver who you can use almost anywhere. I would avoid picking him at a restrictor plate race, other then that he’s a very good week to week pick.

Click HERE for more Juan Pablo Montoya Stats

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