7 facts about why Juan Pablo Montoya is the king of the Indy 500

An amazing rookie

During his first season in the 1999 CART World Championship Series (which will later merge with Indycar), Montoya surprised everyone with a truly commanding performance. Not only was the champion, but he was also crowned rookie of the year.

Inconsistent participation

Despite what he has accomplished in this competition, Montoya has never spent more than three consecutive seasons in the Indycar. In addition, he has only driven full time in five seasons of this competition.

An absence of almost a decade

After 2000, Montoya did not drive in Indycar competition again until 2014, when he returned to racing full-time. That same year, with Team Penske, he finished fifth in the Indianapolis 500.

Absolute dominance

Montoya shares many records with other Indycar drivers, but there is one where he is the absolute leader. Turns out, he holds the record for the most laps of a race led by a rookie. This he achieved in 2000, when he led 83.5% of the race, that is, 167 laps .

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A long list of achievements

Montoya is a 15-race winner, Indycar champion and two-time Indy 500 winner. He could easily be a two-time champion if the 2015 tiebreaker had been in his favor.

An exclusive club

If something has characterized Montoya during his career, it is his ability to adapt to different competitions in motorsports. He has won Formula 1, Nascar, Indycar and more.

For this reason, it is not surprise that only he and Graham Hill have won the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.

One of the fastest

Only 11 races of the Indianapolis 500 have been completed in less than 3 hours. Of course, Montoya was a participant in one of them. It was his 2000, when he completed in a time of 2: 58: 59.431 . This is the ninth fastest race in the history of the competition.