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Posted 7-4-08
Busch,
Montoya Clash Unavoidable
By Chris Symeon, Motorsports Editor
Philadelphia, PA (Sports
Network) - It's no surprise the arrogance of NASCAR's Juan Pablo Montoya
and the cockiness of Kyle Busch would soon cross paths on the track, and
it did in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at the New Hampshire Motor
Speedway. When the caution flag was displayed in the closing laps of the
rain-shortened race, Montoya's No.42 Dodge hit Busch's No.18 Toyota from
behind and put Busch in a spin.
Montoya later admitted
during a post-race television interview that he had intentionally hit
the current Sprint Cup Series points leader. NASCAR assessed a two-lap
penalty to Montoya resulting in a 32nd-place finish. No further penalties
will be forthcoming.
Busch claimed he had
no idea what caused the altercation with Montoya. Montoya had a different
view. He said that Busch hit him on the backstretch and then during the
caution did not give him enough room.
Montoya's on-track
altercation with Busch at New Hampshire is an on-going string of incidents
that has occurred since the former Formula 1 star entered NASCAR. Early
in his Cup rookie season in 2007, Montoya tangled with Tony Stewart in
the spring event at the Texas Motor Speedway. Later in the year at Watkins
Glen International, Montoya crashed into Kevin Harvick with a shoving
match ensuing after the accident.
Team owner Chip Ganassi
hired Montoya because Ganassi felt Montoya's aggressive driving style
would fit NASCAR. And he is apparently correct. Montoya's assertive style
is similar to many in the Sprint Cup garage.
It was inevitable
that Montoya and Busch would trade paint.
Busch, in his first
year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, is enjoying his best season with five
wins so far. However, it's not without his own share of controversy, particularly
in May at the Richmond International Raceway where he spun out fan favorite
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in final stages of the race.
So it's not unexpected
that Busch and Montoya would have an incident where neither was willing
to give an inch. The only surprise is the confrontation didn't escalate
into a higher level. Perhaps this is the end of it, just a small note
on each driver's resume, or maybe a prelude to NASCAR's next great rivalry.
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