Q&A transcript: Juan Pablo Montoya

A transcript of driver Juan Pablo Montoya's question-and-answer session with the media at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday, May 6, 2011: Q. TALK ABOUT RACING HERE AT DARLINGTON, OBVIOUSLY YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET BACK IN THE TOP 10 AND WOULD LIKE TO GET THAT FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, coming here is exciting. Last year we had a really good race here. I think we’ve got good cars coming to this race. The last couple of weeks have been tough for us and we move on. The bright side I think we have cars fast enough to get back in the points and go for it. It should be good.

Q. RYAN NEWMAN WAS JUST IN HERE AND I KNOW YOU GUYS HAD WHAT YOU HAD LAST WEEK, NOW THAT YOU’VE HAD TIME TO REFLECT IS IT PRETTY MUCH BUSINESS AS USUAL BETWEEN YOU TWO OR DO YOU KEEP ONE EYE OPEN?

MONTOYA: No, I think its business as usual. I asked NASCAR yesterday if we should sit down with Ryan before the weekend and I think after this I am going to go talk to them a little bit about it. For me the track is business as usual. We’ve both got to keep running good and get good finishes and move on.

Q. GOING FROM ONE STRONG OVAL TO ANOTHER, DOVER IT’S SELF-CLEANING, I’VE HEARD IT DESCRIBED AS A ROLLER COASTER, I’VE HEARD YOU CAN SENSE AND FEEL THE SPEED THERE, JUST YOUR THOUGHTS ON GOING TO DOVER.

MONTOYA: I think it’s a cool race track. It’s a cool place to go. That’s the place that probably reminds me more about open-wheeled racing. It’s just the grip level on these cars around that place is incredible. It’s like you go through the corners and it’s oh my god we do have a lot of grip here.

And it’s always fun. When the car is right it’s a lot of fun and when it’s not it’s a handful. So it’s exciting. You’ve really got to step it up in qualifying and it just makes it fun.

Q. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU PLAN TO TELL RYAN IN THE MEETING TODAY?

MONTOYA: That’s why I didn’t do it in the hauler, so none of you guys know.

Q. WAS YOUR ACTIONS LAST WEEK SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED AT RICHMOND OR WAS IT A COMBINATION?

MONTOYA: It just adds up. It gets to a point where too much is too much and I felt it had to stop, you know what I mean? I could have done it a lot more aggressively and completely knocked him out of the race but that wasn’t really the plan. I just felt he could have given me about an inch and nothing would have happened but over and over and over has been the case.

I’ve been wrecked by him a couple of times. I didn’t mind so much that he did it, I minded that at this point we both need the points and I didn’t feel I was being treated fair. Do what I do, what I had to.

Q. CAN YOU LOOK BACK WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED, WHAT CAUSED THE RIFT BETWEEN YOU TWO AND WHY ITS LINGERED? LAST YEAR IN INDY YOU SAID SOME THINGS ABOUT THE CREW CHIEF ON THE RADIO THAT WAS AIRED PUBLICLY, DO YOU LIKE THE FACT WHAT YOU SAY ON THE RADIO IS AIRED PUBLICLY EVERY WEEK?

MONTOYA: I’ll tell you the truth, with Newman it’s been since my first Cup race. In my first Cup race the guy that wrecked me was him and after that I’ve been wrecked a couple times more by him.

Really never wanted to have a problem with him and it’s just a pain in the ass when you are trying to race smart and the give and take, you let everybody by and then you expect people to do the same. It’s just unnecessary.

The other side with the crew chief thing, yeah I think there are things that should be on a private channel or something. It’s tough because in the heat of the moment you will say things you are going to regret and the problem with this sport is everything is public so it’s really hard.

Q. WHEN YOU DO THINGS LIKE THAT DO YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACT THAT YOUR TEAM HAS TO GO BACK AND SPEND THE HOURS FIXING THOSE CARS?

MONTOYA: The one that he already wrecked?

Q. EITHER WAY, LAST WEEK, BEFORE THAT, WHEN HE WRECKED YOU IN HOMESTEAD IN 2006.

MONTOYA: Yeah, but when he wrecks me did I do anything wrong? I didn’t feel I did anything wrong.

Q. YOU MEAN THE INITIAL CONTACT ON (LAP) 108?

MONTOYA: No, like last week you are saying I shouldn’t have wrecked him because of the extra work my guys have to do to fix my car?

Q. I’M JUST SAYING DO YOU TAKE THAT STUFF INTO CONSIDERATION, THE BIG PICTURE?

MONTOYA: I think the big picture is the points. The big picture is not fixing the car. If we had one race car to go through the whole year, that would be the big picture. When you’re a proper team you’ve got more than one car.

If you look at my side, my car was already wrecked. I think if I would send you a picture of my car after that race you would see probably just a frame.

Q. WITH ALL THIS THAT GOES ON THE RACE TRACK DO YOU EVER TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION?

MONTOYA: Of course you do, but I think the big picture is always the points. We’re here to score big points in order to be able to be in the Chase at this point of the season.

If you don’t make the Chase, you are only here to make the Chase. Try to win races, get good finishes and make the Chase. And that’s it.

More racing news, blogs, photos and more at www.ThatsRacin.com.