This Monday marks the first anniversary of former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya in NASCAR's Ganassi Racing. To date, the Colombian driver has added three NASCAR wins�a Busch Series victory in Mexico City, a Nextel Cup win at Sonoma, and teamed up to win the non-NASCAR Rolex 24 sports car endurance event�to the illustrious racing career he had at F1. But it's the interest he's created�for himself, for the team, and for NASCAR in general�that has had the most impact.
�The guy loves racing,� said NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi in an interview with the Kansas City Star. �And what better place than here? It's nice to have somebody in your car who wants to be there, wants to be with your team, wants to be a part of it.�
In the year since Montoya signed, the Ganassi organization said he has increased traffic to Ganassi's web site, which is now visited by people in 150 countries and offers a Spanish version for Montoya fans. Also, merchandise sales for Montoya's No. 42 are up 300 percent since last year, and the organization's overall sales are up 70 percent.
But, most importantly, he's resumed a relationship with the car owner who helped him during two pivotal points of his career: Ganassi paved the way for Montoya's F1 career during their successful CART days, and he offered him a new challenge when Montoya badly needed one.
�Working with Chip has been really cool. I really like Chip,� Montoya said. �He believes in you, and he supports you. He's just a guy that really believes in me, and he'll trust you 100 percent. Chip is a guy if something goes wrong, he still always believes I can get the job done.�
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