Juan Pablo Montoya became only the third 'overseas' driver to triumph in NASCAR's Cup series when he won at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, but the Colombian admitted that it was among the hardest races he had ever done.
Already suffering from thirst in the hot Californian conditions, Montoya revealed that he was having to be careful with the #42 car's own drink problem in a fuel-marginal scrap to the finish. However, having come from 32nd on the grid, he was not about to let a first win in the top flight go easily, even if it meant driving against his usual Latin tendencies.
Montoya had moved steadily from his lowly starting slot towards the front of the pack, battling with some of the biggest names in the sport as he went, but the crucial decision came from pit-road not the cockpit, as he was called for fuel and tyres for the final time on lap 67. Knowing that he then had to make his fuel last for more than 40 laps, the
F1 refugee had to balance aggression with conservatism as he found himself fourth in line behind others on the same strategy.
As the laps wound down, Montoya moved into third place behind polesitter Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick before setting about the series veterans in an effort to take the lead.
"They kept telling me to be patient and I'd be fine," he said of the Chip Ganassi crew, "They said 'don't over do it and try to save fuel'. That's why we're here.
“It was a good day, but it was tough. You don't know how fast you are. I was patient. We made some changes on the car and that made a difference. We had good restarts, but it was hard when we were behind traffic because, in turns seven and eleven, you have to get on the gas and it was really hard. It was easy to spin the wheels.
"I knew I was running third with ten to go - and I didn't want to finish third. I picked up the pace a little bit but, at the same time, I was trying to roll the car as much as I could. I was just being very patient."
![Juan Pablo Montoya - Texaco Havoline Ganassi Dodge [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/292507.jpg)
