Juan Pablo Montoya may discover himself again in a NASCAR Cup Collection automobile earlier than the tip of 2024.
In a video posted to 23XI Racing’s X account, the staff introduced that its part-time No. 50 automobile will make yet another begin in the course of the 2024 season. Whereas the staff did not explicitly identify the driving force for its closing race of the yr, it seems to be legendary driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who made 255 Cup Collection begins from 2006-14.
Montoya received two Cup Collection races, successful at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, respectively, together with a NASCAR Busch Collection race in 2007 in Mexico Metropolis. Montoya made the Chase for the NASCAR Dash Cup in 2009 and earned a career-best Cup Collection factors end of eighth that very same yr.
Montoya’s specialty in racing has at all times been open-wheel automobiles, as he received the 1999 CART championship, together with 10 CART races and 5 races in IndyCar. In 94 System 1 begins, Montoya received seven races and completed on the rostrum 30 instances.
He’s a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (2000, 2015) and has additionally received the 24 Hours of Daytona thrice in 2007, 2008 and 2013. Montoya received the IMSA championship in 2019, changing into a family identify on the planet of sports activities automobile racing.
The 48-year-old will surely be essentially the most completed driver that 23XI Racing has had drive its third automobile. Travis Pastrana piloted a 3rd entry for the staff within the 2023 Daytona 500, and Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi drove for 23XI at Indianapolis in 2023 and COTA in 2024. The latest race for 23XI’s third staff was at Nashville on June 30, the place Toyota prospect Corey Heim drove the No. 50 automobile to a Twenty ninth-place end.
Montoya would possible drive the automobile at one of many two remaining street programs on the schedule of Watkins Glen (N.Y.) or Charlotte (N.C.). With it being the ultimate race for 23XI’s part-time entry in 2024, placing Montoya within the automobile will surely drum up pleasure and provides him the most effective automobile he is ever had on the Cup Collection stage.