Although he has yet to win on an oval, Montoya was delighted to break his Cup series duck, comparing success at Infineon to some of his other major wins.
I tell you, this is as big as any victory," he smiled, "You could say it's as big as winning the Indy 500 or winning Long Beach. For me, winning Long Beach was probably cooler than winning the Indy 500 because it was my first ever big race. Winning here is my first ever big race in stock cars, so they're all right up there - but I kinda think this is my favourite. We worked hard for it and the whole team deserves this."
Having triumphed earlier this year in a Busch Series road race in Mexico, Montoya admitted that he had been surprised by the standard of the opposition in the higher series, having enjoyed spirited battles with the likes of reigning champion Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart as well as McMurray and Harvick at the end.
In Mexico, I had a very good car and the drivers were very strong, but here, man the top 20 were.... you had to work for your money," he reflected, "At the end, we were right behind Kevin and I was saving the tyres. I just tried to keep up with him for 15-20 laps and, when I started pushing it, I everything fell into place. That was huge."
The first non-American to win a Cup race for more than 30 years, Montoya claimed that his success could only be good for the sport, particularly its recognition south of the border.
"I think this will be a big boost for everybody working in the shop, but also, in a way, it's going to be good for the whole of NASCAR," he insisted, "I think winning today is going to bring a lot of attention to the next few races. It's good for me, it's good for the whole team and I think it's good for the sport. If I can help it's good. I'm very proud to be part of it.
![Juan Pablo Montoya - Texaco Havoline Ganassi Dodge [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/292507.jpg)
