Chip Ganassi Racing general manager Mike Hull says that a return to IndyCar could allow Juan Pablo Montoya to prove that he is still one of the elite drivers of his generation.
Ganassi general manager says a return to IndyCar would benefit Juan Pablo Montoya
Ganassi Racing executive Mike Hull says that IndyCar and Juan Pablo Montoya would both benefit from a reunion next season.
Jason Smith
Andretti Autosport has reached out to Montoya about possibly joining their stable next season and while that would make him a rival to Ganassi, Hull believes that Montoya would be an asset to IndyCar moving forward.
“I think it would be great for our series to have him, and personally I have a lot of time for Juan because I know what he’s done and what he is capable of doing in the future as a race driver,” Hull told Autosport.com. “We’ve been very fortunate on the IndyCar side because our IndyCar guys have run Juan as part of the 24-hour race for the last few years.
“He’d be good in an IndyCar, and watching him up close and personal, he’s as good as he ever was when he drove an open-wheeler for us the first time.”
Hull believes that Montoya could come in next season and be just as competitive as he was in 1999 and 2000 (11 wins and a CART championship) but also believes that IndyCar may fail to capitalize on his presence.
“I would hope that if Juan has the opportunity to drive an IndyCar again, the people in place are able to help the series by having him in it,” Hull said. “Quite frankly, there is no reason to have people like Juan driving in this series if we can’t improve the brand of the series through having him here. I think we’re missing opportunities with several of the drivers who are in the series now.
“We had a guy [Ryan Hunter-Reay] who has enormous talent who happens to be American win the series [last year], and we need to get to the point where he walks into a restaurant and somebody recognizes him. He is the package.”
IndyCar desperately needs a personality that can come in and play the villain and Montoya -- if competitive -- could instantly do that. His willingness to do so at this stage of his career is another story.
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