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Montoya, A Happy Indianapolis 500 Champion

Juan Pablo Montoya hugs the Borg-Warner trophy. [Russ Lake Photo]

Juan Pablo Montoya hugs the Borg-Warner trophy. [Russ Lake Photo]

Indianapolis, Ind. – A day after taking the checkered flag in the Indianapolis 500, Juan Pablo Montoya returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the traditional photoshoot and more interviews before jetting off on a brief media tour that includes a stop in New York City that includes ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning.

“I think that my winning the Indianapolis 500 has finally sunk in,” said Montoya in a hoarse voice. “Yesterday, coming to the line, I was really happy, but I only stay happy for a short period of time, thinking let’s move on as I wonder what is next.”

According to Indianapolis 500 historian Donald Davidson, 858 drivers have competed in the Indianapolis 500 and only 68 of them have driven into victory lane, so winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is very special and is one of the many reasons that the high-speed spectacle draws tens of thousands of fans and an international audience.

Montoya steadfastly stated it was a whole team effort that propelled him to victory, and instead of thinking of himself as the star driver, he views himself as just part of the crew. “We all work hard and they put in more hours than I do, so I am just one of them,” he said with conviction.

So connected is he with the team, Montoya met up with his crew in a downtown Indianapolis bar on Sunday evening to celebrate, and they watched the delayed telecast of the race on television.

“To win, you must have a good car and drive the hell out of it, and you have to drive better than anyone else. If you don’t, you don’t win,” he commented in his customary nonchalant voice.

The cars were so much different now than they were in 2000 when he won. “In a CART car, you had so much power and you could literally drive away from the field,” he commented. “With the aero kits used today, it is fun and amazing how close and competitive it is. My pass for the lead was just as hard as when I tried to pass Oriol Servia for 28th. There were no easy passes. You have to wait for the other guy to make a mistake.”

Asked about his outlook when he found himself deep in the pack, he said, “After I overshot the pits, I came out 15th and then I passed nine cars on the next run with one car to pass when the caution came out. I just had to be patient then as I could see the lead pack ahead of me. At the beginning I didn’t think the car was good enough to win, but after doing a lot of work, I told the guys I think we have a chance. But once I got to third and Scott Dixon blew by us, I thought we were screwed, but what goes around comes around.”

Running mid-pack offers nothing to Montoya and he wants no part of doing that, which admittedly is one of the reasons he exited NASCAR and also Formula 1. And he never expected to return to Indianapolis, believing he would have been retired by now.

One reason Montoya’s victory was so special was that his three young children were born after he won in 2000, but they were on hand Sunday to share the limelight with their famous father, even drinking the milk in victory lane.

Said wife Connie Montoya, who also was not around in 2000, “I am overwhelmed by the victory. It was just perfect, although I couldn’t watch most of the race. I didn’t want to listen or watch it. Our children weren’t with me during the race as they were in our motor home but they did enjoy being here.”

Pablo Montoya, the proud father, was with his son in 2000. “Well, I am really happy to see my son win for the second time in three Indianapolis 500s,” he commented. “It is a very big accomplishment for him.”

Even though Montoya has an intense travel and interview schedule upcoming, he can’t wait for the next race, as he is not only focused on additional wins but the Verizon IndyCar Series champion in 2015 as well.

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