Juan Pablo Montoya 2011 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2010 Stats: Points Finish 17th, 1 Win, 6 Top Fives, 14 Top Tens, Average Running Position 13.7, Average Finish 18th, Laps Led 411, Driver Rating 90.9
Juan Pablo Montoya is a top five talent in NASCAR, but his decisions on the track are holding him back. Many good runs by Montoya were spoiled late in races so if you’re just looking at the finish position then you’re missing the mark on Montoya.
The real story of Montoya can be found in his loop data. Nearly all of Montoya’s loop data numbers are good except his average finish. Montoya’s 11.6 average starting position is better than all but two Chase drivers. His 13.2 mid race running position would rank him mid pack among the 2010 Chasers. His 13.7 average running position (perhaps the most important loop data number) is better than Denny Hamlin’s (14.0).
Montoya may have a Target on his car but it doesn’t mean you should aim for it. Montoya is a man’s man on the track. I know if I were a NASCAR driver I wouldn’t mess with him. This attribute of Montoya’s can also be a bad thing for him because he loses focus at times on the track. One things for certain though, and that is that he’ll get his revenge.
Strengths – Montoya can do it all in NASCAR. He’s strong on every track type and is capable of getting a top ten on any given Sunday.
Weaknesses – Himself. When things go bad for him on the track say your prayers, close your eyes and hope for the best.
Intermediate Track Grade- B+, Things didn’t go the best for Montoya at intermediate tracks in 2010, but much of it’s not his fault. A few examples would be McMurray running into him at California (race 1), the Texas big one (race 1), mechanical problems at Dover (race 1), and then there’s the near media black out Logano running into him and hiding Homestead incident.
Don’t forget about how good he was in 2009 on these tracks. Montoya and Martin were the only drivers who could truly contend with Jimmie Johnson at these venues. As my favorite sports debater Skip Bayless would say, “don’t be a prisoner of the moment”.
Flat Track Grade- A-, If you just look at the finish position of Montoya on flat tracks then you’re really missing the boat. Those stats don’t do him any justice. Remember Indy? The result wasn’t good but he was. Remember New Hampshire when he self imploded at the end? In 2011 look for Montoya to start getting some of the finishes he deserves.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- A-, In 2010 Montoya was very good on restrictor plate tracks. He finished 3rd in both Talladega races, finished 10th in the Daytona 500, and finished 27th in the Daytona night race.
Short Track Grade- B+, Montoya is good on all the short tracks. In 2010 he finished in the top ten in half of them. Martinsville is the only track where he didn’t crack the top ten, but in 2009 he was stout there.
Road Course Track Grade- A+, Montoya is a now a winner at both road courses. He’s finished in the top six in every road course race of his career except the Watkins Glen race where he had his run in with Harvick.
How to use Juan Pablo Montoya from a Fantasy NASCAR Perspective in 2011? Montoya is an elite talent in NASCAR. He can do it all and doesn’t back down. However you shouldn’t use Montoya when he’s in the midst of a bad streak.
Juan Pablo Montoya Stats/Loop Data
