[simple simon]

Originally Posted by Quality88

I think if anbody comes close( and again, I could be very wrong), it would be Reutimann. I think he has something to prove and he is very hungry. I believe he finshed pretty well in the CTS Championship didn't he?

In 2006, Reutimann won two poles and finished third in the championship standings. He also made fifteen Busch starts and had four top-tens.
David Reutimann - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

3rd in the CTS is decent........but it is usually won by Cup rejects isnt it ?

Ted Musgrave and Jimmy Spencer

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by simple simon

........but it is usually won by Cup rejects isnt it ?

One could see it as that.. I see it as guys who race by beatin and bangin Old school Nascar style. I've said it before( and others as well) it's the closest to old school NASCAR as you can get. You can actually beat the s#%t out of those trucks and still compete for the win. Where as the cup series you really have to take care of the car. In point they race really hard and lay it all on the line. I've seen a race at KY Speedway and it was awesome.

[trollmc08]

Originally Posted by Quality88

One could see it as that.. I see it as guys who race by beatin and bangin Old school Nascar style. I've said it before( and others as well) it's the closest to old school NASCAR as you can get. You can actually beat the s#%t out of those trucks and still compete for the win. Where as the cup series you really have to take care of the car. In point they race really hard and lay it all on the line. I've seen a race at KY Speedway and it was awesome.

Your right Q, The CTS does have some of the best racing going.

[simple simon]

for the Auto Club 500

Rookie of the Year Candidates: how fast were they and where do they start:
#00-David Reutimann, 182.431, starts 33rd
#6-David Ragan, 181.525, starts 38th
#15-Paul Menard, 183.323, starts 22nd
#42-Juan Montoya, 184.219, starts 9th
#72-Brandon Whitt, 180.900, starts DNQ
#84-A.J. Allmendinger, 181.997, starts DNQ
DNR = Did not race
DNQ = Did not qualify for race.
Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - Lineup and Qualifying Info

do we still have any Montoya doubters ?

[Souporscotty]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

I don't know crap about NASCAR so I am gonna follow your lead, and let you feel special...

Why in the world would that make anyone feel special???? Welcome back GDK, have really missed your (expletive) questions.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by simple simon

for the Auto Club 500

do we still have any Montoya doubters ?

Exactly. Montoya is the only rookie that qualified in the top 10. That's unreal. Montoya is gonna be the man to beat in the rookie class this year, and should take the ROTY easily. Don't be surprised if he wins a race and finishes in the top 20 in points, maybe top 15 with the way he has been running.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Mike24

Exactly. Montoya is the only rookie that qualified in the top 10. That's unreal. Montoya is gonna be the man to beat in the rookie class this year, and should take the ROTY easily. Don't be surprised if he wins a race and finishes in the top 20 in points, maybe top 15 with the way he has been running.

Easy Mike... qualifying and racing are two different things. Let the race start and finish before you ride the praise wagon.

[LSC9901]

I again point out that Montoya is inexperienced in stock car racing and all of its little quirks. The pit strategy plays a big part in winning. How well does his pit crew work together ? Is he completely comfortable with this type of pit stop ? As a rookie Denny Hamlin was above average for even an experienced cup series driver. He came from a stock car series. I know many will agrue that a race car is a race car and a race team is a race team. At this point in its early stages Toyota doesn't look too great with experienced drivers ???? Montoya may well be the ROY but I have to believe that it is way early in the season to call it for him. If he had not had so much media hype you may well be asking ... who is Montoya ??? I still am.

[wingkey1]

Montoya (as is so with every other driver in every other form of racing) is going to need equipment that can finish races consistently. Not just from an equipment failure standpoint, but also the adjust throughout the contest(s) standpoint. While this is more "feel" than statistically supported - not sure he is with a team that has attained this.

If he doesn't make it (Rookie of Year), the team and equipment factor will have to be understood at years end.

Opinion seems to be almost that the competition in this years crop of candidates is such that he'd be a real loser if he did not take it. Look at our own poll here.

I spent decades with the company that sponsored his F1 efforts. We did not see any championships. Bridesmaids for sure, but no championships. Now there was some recognizable competition. But hey, second was first loser.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

I again point out that Montoya is inexperienced in stock car racing and all of its little quirks. The pit strategy plays a big part in winning. How well does his pit crew work together ? Is he completely comfortable with this type of pit stop ? As a rookie Denny Hamlin was above average for even an experienced cup series driver. He came from a stock car series. I know many will agrue that a race car is a race car and a race team is a race team. At this point in its early stages Toyota doesn't look too great with experienced drivers ???? Montoya may well be the ROY but I have to believe that it is way early in the season to call it for him. If he had not had so much media hype you may well be asking ... who is Montoya ??? I still am.

It's far too early to tell. The peaks and valleys might help one of the other drivers. Remember when Ryan beat out Jimmy Johnson for ROY in 2002, despite the fact that Johnson had three wins to Newman's one? Since they throw out the worse five (?I think) races, it makes a driver look more consistent than he might actually be. I think Montoya'll have that consistency from the git-go.

I'll continue to stand by the odds I gave earlier in this thread.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

It's far too early to tell. The peaks and valleys might help one of the other drivers.

That really does say it all. Only time will tell. Good or bad luck can befall any of them.

[SpaceCadet]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

I again point out that Montoya is inexperienced in stock car racing and all of its little quirks. The pit strategy plays a big part in winning. How well does his pit crew work together ? Is he completely comfortable with this type of pit stop ? As a rookie Denny Hamlin was above average for even an experienced cup series driver. He came from a stock car series. I know many will agrue that a race car is a race car and a race team is a race team. At this point in its early stages Toyota doesn't look too great with experienced drivers ???? Montoya may well be the ROY but I have to believe that it is way early in the season to call it for him. If he had not had so much media hype you may well be asking ... who is Montoya ??? I still am.

LSC - This statement makes more sense to me than almost anything I've read about rookies and their differnces. Why? Because of the sentence about many think a race car is race car, etc. Open wheel experience is great, as evidenced by Stewart and Gordon to name a few. Hamlin's experience in stock type cars made him the standout he was in his rookie year. There's a lot of bumping in stock cars, and it doesn't necessarily result in a crash. If you do that kind of driving in an open wheel car, be it a modified, a supermodified, forumla, whatever, your tires will touch and your day will be done. Montoya himself has said this on more than one occasion. He said he was quite surprised at the amount of contact out there because it doesn't happen in open wheel. This point is a key factor. That having been said, I think Montoya can pull this off, given equipment that works. But boy, do I agree with you. The difference in the two car types and the style of driving each takes is huge. Right down to the pit stops.

[simple simon]

and ya know.......it could just come down to the fact that Montoya is a better driver then the rest of them

im not saying for a fact that he is........but its as possible as anything else

he isnt in the top 20 in points by pure luck

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by simple simon

and ya know.......it could just come down to the fact that Montoya is a better driver then the rest of them

im not saying for a fact that he is........but its as possible as anything else

he isnt in the top 20 in points by pure luck

Montoya MAY be the better driver but I for one am not yet convinced of that. Being in the top 20 after one race is about the same as being in 1st place after one race. At this point in time I just cannot agree that being in 20th place is due to anything other than being in the right place at the right time. Maybe not 100% of that statement is correct but it is definitely not 100% wrong. wait until we are 5-6 races into the season and have hit a few different tracks. At that point I may be well convinced that he has what it takes to be the ROY. Right now I would still default to a driver who has experience in stock (???) cars.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Montoya MAY be the better driver but I for one am not yet convinced of that. Being in the top 20 after one race is about the same as being in 1st place after one race. At this point in time I just cannot agree that being in 20th place is due to anything other than being in the right place at the right time. Maybe not 100% of that statement is correct but it is definitely not 100% wrong. wait until we are 5-6 races into the season and have hit a few different tracks. At that point I may be well convinced that he has what it takes to be the ROY. Right now I would still default to a driver who has experience in stock (???) cars.

c'mon LSC....join me on the dark-side and praise Montoya as you know you wanna

i agree all the others have much more stock car experience the he does, and for some of them that should prove helpful

but i think the is one experience Montoya has that could come in very handy.....road courses

F1 runs alot if not all of their races on road courses and i think it may help MOntoya some.........NASCAR may not run many road courses but most drivers struggle when they do........it could be a real advantage for Montoya