Perhaps no other racer in the world today has the resume and diverse racing background as Juan Pablo Montoya. The native of Colombia has produced winning seasons in Formula 1 and NASCAR to go along with his championship IndyCar Series career that is decorated with memorable victories and accomplishments. Montoya remains as hungry and as driven as ever as he competes in his 22nd season racing at the highest levels of the sport. True to form, Montoya added another chapter to his distinguished career in 2019 winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title in the Daytona Prototype category with Acura Team Penske co-driver Dane Cameron.
Historic IMSA sports car victories have long been a part of Montoya’s makeup, including three wins in one of the world’s toughest races – the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Yet, remarkably, he had never before won a sports car championship in his career until he and Cameron delivered the first IMSA title for Acura Team Penske. With three wins, three poles and seven podium finishes in the final eight events of the season, Montoya and Cameron became a dominant force on their way to the 2019 championship.
In 2020, Montoya will again team with Cameron as the full-season drivers of the No. 6 Acura ARX-05 Prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Simon Pagenaud returns to the team for the endurance events at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta.
After claiming the CART Series title as a rookie racer in 1999, Montoya made the difficult but successful transition to Formula 1 racing in 2001. With seven victories in six seasons of F1 competition, Montoya returned to the United States to compete in NASCAR in 2006. He produced three NASCAR victories and many memorable performances before he returned to his open-wheel racing roots.
Biography
Perhaps no other racer in the world today has the resume and diverse racing background as Juan Pablo Montoya. The native of Colombia has produced winning seasons in Formula 1 and NASCAR to go along with his championship IndyCar Series career that is decorated with memorable victories and accomplishments. Montoya remains as hungry and as driven as ever as he competes in his 22nd season racing at the highest levels of the sport. True to form, Montoya added another chapter to his distinguished career in 2019 winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title in the Daytona Prototype category with Acura Team Penske co-driver Dane Cameron.
Historic IMSA sports car victories have long been a part of Montoya’s makeup, including three wins in one of the world’s toughest races – the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Yet, remarkably, he had never before won a sports car championship in his career until he and Cameron delivered the first IMSA title for Acura Team Penske. With three wins, three poles and seven podium finishes in the final eight events of the season, Montoya and Cameron became a dominant force on their way to the 2019 championship.
In 2020, Montoya will again team with Cameron as the full-season drivers of the No. 6 Acura ARX-05 Prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Simon Pagenaud returns to the team for the endurance events at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta.
After claiming the CART Series title as a rookie racer in 1999, Montoya made the difficult but successful transition to Formula 1 racing in 2001. With seven victories in six seasons of F1 competition, Montoya returned to the United States to compete in NASCAR in 2006. He produced three NASCAR victories and many memorable performances before he returned to his open-wheel racing roots.
Montoya joined Team Penske for the 2014 IndyCar Series season and he quickly acclimated himself to the winning culture of the organization. He totaled four wins in his three years of full-time competition, which included a memorable win in the 2015 Indianapolis 500 for the team’s 16th victory in the legendary race.
When Team Penske announced its return to sports car racing for the 2018 season, the organization turned to Montoya, who had produced some impressive victories in his select sports car starts. Over the course of the 2018 IMSA season, Montoya posted solid results for the first-year Acura Team Penske squad. After leading laps in the Rolex 24, the veteran driver helped the No. 6 team to two pole positions – including the first in Acura Team Penske history on the streets of Long Beach – and four podium finishes as he and Cameron finished fifth in the final series standings. The duo also claimed the VP Fuels Front Runner Award for the most laps led over second half of the season.
Few drivers in motorsports history can match the credentials of Montoya. He is the only driver to win a CART/IndyCar Series title, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona, all in his first attempt. He is also a former winner of one of the most prestigious races in the world - the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. Legendary racers Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney are the only other drivers besides Montoya that can boast wins in Formula 1, INDYCAR and NASCAR. The determined Colombian will look to add to his legacy with Acura Team Penske in 2020.
Montoya and his wife Connie reside in South Florida with their son Sebastian and two daughters, Paulina and Manuela.
Montoya Key Accomplishments
2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2000, 2015)
2003 Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 winner
Youngest champion in IndyCar Series history at age 24 in 1999
Three-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona (2007, 2008, 2013)
15 career IndyCar Series wins
Three career NASCAR victories
Won the first pole position in Acura Team Penske history on the streets of Long Beach in 2018
2019 - Adds sports car champion to long racing resule after claiming the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi title with co-driver Dane Cameron. Posts victories with Cameron at Mid-Ohio, Detroit and Laguna Seca and records poles at Sebring, Detroit and Road America. Wins title for the 36th championship in Team Penske history.
2018 - Finishes fifth in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship co-driving the No. 6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 Daytona Prototype International with Dane Cameron. Scores the first pole position in Acura Team Penske history by leading qualifying on the streets of Long Beach. Captures second pole of the season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Records four podium finishes and 291 laps led.
2017 - Competes in two Verizon IndyCar Series races for Team Penske in 2017, the Indianapolis Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Posts top-10 finishes in both races, including a 10th-place result in the Indianapolis G.P. and sixth-place effort in the Indy 500. Joins the new Acura Team Penske IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program for 2018 and helps develop the ARX-05 DPi. Races in the Petit Le Mans event with Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud to close the 2017 season and helps Team Penske earn a third-place result.
2016 - Wins the Verizon IndyCar Series race at St. Petersburg for the second consecutive year to start the season. Posts three podium finishes on the year including the win at St. Petersburg, the first Dual in Detroit race on Belle Isle and the season-ending race at Sonoma Raceway. Closes the season ranked inside the top 10 with a ninth-place overall championship result.
Career Highlights
2019 - Adds sports car champion to long racing resule after claiming the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi title with co-driver Dane Cameron. Posts victories with Cameron at Mid-Ohio, Detroit and Laguna Seca and records poles at Sebring, Detroit and Road America. Wins title for the 36th championship in Team Penske history.
2018 - Finishes fifth in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship co-driving the No. 6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 Daytona Prototype International with Dane Cameron. Scores the first pole position in Acura Team Penske history by leading qualifying on the streets of Long Beach. Captures second pole of the season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Records four podium finishes and 291 laps led.
2017 - Competes in two Verizon IndyCar Series races for Team Penske in 2017, the Indianapolis Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Posts top-10 finishes in both races, including a 10th-place result in the Indianapolis G.P. and sixth-place effort in the Indy 500. Joins the new Acura Team Penske IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program for 2018 and helps develop the ARX-05 DPi. Races in the Petit Le Mans event with Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud to close the 2017 season and helps Team Penske earn a third-place result.
2016 - Wins the Verizon IndyCar Series race at St. Petersburg for the second consecutive year to start the season. Posts three podium finishes on the year including the win at St. Petersburg, the first Dual in Detroit race on Belle Isle and the season-ending race at Sonoma Raceway. Closes the season ranked inside the top 10 with a ninth-place overall championship result.
2015 - Produces two Verizon IndyCar Series race victories – on the Streets of St. Pete and at the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 – and battles for the series championship down to the final lap of the season. Claims championship points lead after the St. Pete victory for the first time since his 1999 championship-winning season. Leads championship standings from the first race of the year until the season finale at Sonoma Raceway, eventually finishing second to Scott Dixon for the title as a result of a tiebraker. Scores second career Indy 500 victory and the team's record 16th win on Memorial Day weekend. Records five podium results and nine top-five finishes overall on the season.
2014 - Joins Team Penske and returns to the Verizon IndyCar Series for the first time since 2000. Posts a win at Pocono Raceway for his first series victory since taking the checkered flag at Gateway International Raceway in 2000. Emerges as a title contender throughout the season before finishing fourth in the final standings. Finishes the year with one win, one Verizon P1 Pole Award and four podium finishes.
2013 - Competes in final season of NASCAR competition. Finishes the season with four top-five finishes and eight top-10 results for Ganassi Racing. Finishes the season ranked 21st in the series standings. Wins third Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series at Daytona International Speedway.
2012 - Scores back-to-back pole positions at Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International (WGI) in August. Finishes 22nd in final NASCAR Cup Series championship standings. Competes in two Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series races – the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the Brickyard Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and finishes fourth in both events.
2011 - Produces two top-five and eight top-10 results in NASCAR Cup Series competition. Wins pole positions at Auto Club Speedway in March and Richmond International Raceway in April. Finishes 21st in the series standings. Scores a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Grand-Am Series race.
2010 - Leads 74 of 90 laps at Watkins Glen International in August to score second-career NASCAR Cup Series victory, becoming the first foreign-born driver to win multiple Cup Series races. Captures pole positions at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and Talladega Superspeedway in October. Finishes the season ranked 17th in the series standings with six top-five finishes and 14 top-10 results.
2009 - Becomes the first foreign-born driver, first former Formula One (F1) driver and first Indianapolis 500 champion to qualify for NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship. Wins first career Cup Series pole position at Talladega in April. Closes the season ranked eighth in the championship standings with seven top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.
2008 - Becomes the first driver in history to win the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in his first two starts. Records two top-five finishes and three top-10 results in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
2007 - Visits Victory Lane in three different series. Scores first NASCAR Cup Series win at Sonoma Raceway in June. Wins his first Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in his first start in the prestigious sports car endurance race. Captures his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in his seventh career start in the series. Earns Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors and finishes 20th in points with one win, three top-five finishes and six top-10 results.
2006 - Races for the McLaren Mercedes team in his final season of Formula One (F1) competition. Finishes the season with two podium results. Announces move to NASCAR with Ganassi Racing at U.S. Grand Prix weekend on July 9. Makes two ARCA Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway and Iowa Speedway in October, finishing second and 24th, respectively.
2005 - Joines the McLaren Mercedes F1 team. Earns first win for McLaren in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit. Produces additional victories in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and the Grand Prix of Brazil at Interlagos.
2004 - Competes in final season with the Williams BMW F1 team. Scores a victory in the final race of the season in the Grand Prix of Brazil at Interlagos before transitioning to the McLaren team.
2003 - Helps design the 2003 Williams F1 chassis. records victories at the Monaco Grand Prix – one of the races in the Triple Crown of Motorsports – and the German Grand Prix. Finishes the year with nine podiums and a third-place finish in the final series standings.
2002 - Completes second full season in F1 for the Williams team. Captures seven pole positions and posts the fastest qualifying lap in F1 history during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
2001 - Makes Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix qualifying 11th and finishing fifth. Wins first F1 race on September 16 in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Finishes the season with three pole positions and four podium finishes.
2000 - Races final season in the CART Series before moving to Formula One. Wins the Indianapolis 500 in his first IndyCar Series start. Becomes the first driver in 34 years to win the Indy 500 in their first career start in the legendary race. Produces wins at the Milwaukee Mile, Michigan International Speedway and Gateway International Raceway in CART competition.
1999 - Makes American motorsports series debut with first season racing in the CART Series. Earns seven wins for Ganassi Racing en route to becoming the youngest champion in series history at the age of 24. Captures series Rookie of the Year honors.
1997 - 1998 - Competes in the Formula 3000 series while also becoming an F1 test driver for the Williams BMW team. Wins the 1998 Formula 3000 championship after a close battle with Nick Heidfeld. Becomes the first Formula 3000 driver to lap the entire field in the Pau Grand Prix in 1998.
Early Career - Wins Colombian National Karting Championship for four consecutive years, from 1981-84. Races in Junior World Cup Go-Karting Championship in 1990, alongside current Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves. Completes the U.S. Skip Barber Driving School in 1992. Graduates from Colegio San Tarsicio in Bogota in 1994. Competes in the 1995 British Formula Vauxhall Championship finishing third in the standings. Posts fifth-place result in the 1996 British Formula 3 Series.
2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series Season Statistics
