 |
| Felix Sabates |
“It’s true,” said Sabates in an
exclusive interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s SiriusXM Speedway. ”We have decided not to renew his contract. It
was a difficult decision, but (Montoya) understands the profession, and that
you’ve got to move on in life sometimes.
“It’s frustrating for everybody when
you know you’ve got good equipment, (but) you can’t seem to put everything together,”
he said. “You can’t point a finger at one person. We win as a team and we lose
as a team. We’ve had a lot of things happen to us -- last year and this year --
that weren’t anybody’s fault. But sometimes you have to make a change, hoping
that maybe your bad luck will go away.
“The 42 team will be here next year,
the year after and the year after. That car is not going anywhere.”
 |
| Montoya out at season's end |
Sabates said the No. 42 Chevy will compete
with a new driver in 2014. While youngster Kyle Larson has been competing on
the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Turner Scott Motorsports under a Ganassi
developmental contract, he insisted no decision has been made on a replacement
for Montoya.
“There are a lot of options out there,”
said Sabates. “It’s not just one person, and we’re going to keep all our
options open. We don’t know what we’re going to do yet. We don’t know which
drivers are going to be available at the end of the season. A good driver could
be available that (would be) a good fit for our organization.
“Kyle Larson is one of the prospects,
but he’s one of several.”
Sabates hinted that Montoya’s ouster
from Ganassi’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series lineup does not necessarily mean an end
to his association with the team.
“We are still hoping to get some things
worked out with Juan,” said Sabates. While declining to comment specifically on
whether Montoya might compete for the team in the GRAND AM Rolex Sports Car
Series or even return to the IZOD Indy Car ranks, he said, “we hope he will
still be in the picture.”
Montoya joined Ganassi Racing for a second
stint in 2006 after leaving the Formula One circuit. He previously won both the
1999 CART championship and 2000 Indianapolis 500 with Ganassi. He has just two
wins in 239 career Sprint Cup Series starts, with one victory in 23 Nationwide
Series events.
He finished eighth in the 2009 Sprint
Cup championship chase – his third full season in Cup – but has not finish
better than 17th since then. He was 21st in championship
points in 2011, 22nd last season and currently ranks 22nd
in points with four races remaining until the 2013 Chase. His teammate, Jamie
McMurray, is currently 15th.
An open Chevy seat with a Hendrick Alliance and with Newman and Kurt still with no 2014 contract I do not think Kyle Larson is a lock for this ride yet.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if this news is a surprise,but you said it all on your show today, the numbers speak volumes. I hope the best for JPM. He's quite talented, and I know he will succeed elsewhere. Sometimes a change of scenery is needed. Interesting too how Newman announces he's leaving SHR, wins Brickyard, and now a ride opens (possibly vacant) for 2014. Silly Season off and running!
ReplyDeleteThat's about the only way younger guys can get in. The older hold drivers have to be moved over.
ReplyDeleteRyan Newman maybe?
ReplyDeleteThe way it looks at the moment there may be more open seats before the years end. Judging by performance and owner comments the 47(Chevy?)seat will be filled by someone other then Bobby Labonte next year.
ReplyDeleteNewman out at SHR was the start of musical seats this year. We are in for a few more rounds of "Who's driving what?" before the beginning of the 2014 season.
If anyone thinks for one second this decision wasn't made when Newman became available, I have a secret gas formula to sell you. I am sure they had to run it by Target before they announced it and I am sure Newman will be announced as the 42 driver sooner than later. Target doesn't want a kid in the seat, they want a winner. Now.
ReplyDelete