Sagaris

WIN number 1, and that's from the back of the field with a calm measured response......

Formula 1 refugee Juan Pablo Montoya scored his maiden NASCAR Nextel Cup victory in California on Sunday and described it as one of the greatest moments of his career.

The Colombian, who split with McLaren and walked away from F1 halfway through last season, has had a difficult baptism in the alien world of stock car racing – impressing the locals with his speed but having only modest results to show for it.

But at Sears Point – the first of only two road course events on the Nextel Cup schedule – Montoya used his well-honed road racing skills to move from a disappointing 32nd on the 43-car grid all the way to the front.

“It’s huge,” he said when asked to compare his win with other entries on his CV.

“I would say right now it’s the biggest thing I’ve done.

“In open-wheel racing, I was expected to win. In stock cars, I wasn’t.

“This is as big as any victory.

“You could say it’s as big as winning the Indy 500 or winning Long Beach.

“For me winning Long Beach [Champ Car race, in 1999] was probably cooler than winning the Indy 500 because it was my first ever big race.

“Winning here is my first ever big race in stock cars.

“They’re all right up there. I kinda think this is my favourite. It’s amazing.”

Montoya pulled off some bold passing moves on the sinuous northern California track, but the key to his victory was his frugal fuel mileage in the final stint of the race.

Team boss Chip Ganassi, with whose outfit Montoya won the 1999 Champ Car title and the 2000 Indy 500, said patience has become part of the feisty JPM’s repertoire.

“Those of you who didn’t know him before, he’s changed quite a bit,” Ganassi said.

“He’s a lot calmer, if you can imagine that.

“He actually came on the radio today and said ‘it’s too early to race these guys’.

“I was looking around thinking I had somebody else’s radio or something.

“He’s a changed man, all in a positive way.”

Montoya’s victory was the first for a Hispanic driver in Nextel Cup history and as such was a landmark for NASCAR, which is hoping to foster another phase of expansion by tapping into new markets.

“I think in a way it’s going to be good for the whole NASCAR sport,” JPM said.

“I think me winning today is going to bring a lot of attention the next few races.”