Montoya confirmed for Daytona 24H

The Colombian, who had his first run in the No. 01 TELMEX/Target Lexus Riley this morning, will race alongside two-time Rolex champion Scott Pruett, and A1GP race winner for Team Mexico Salvador Duran.

Although it was initially expected that Montoya would race in the No. 02 car with Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon, who won the race last year, the team changed their initial plan, hoping to improve their chances of taking victory again.

Another Mexican backed by TELMEX, Memo Rojas, will join Wheldon and Dixon in the No. 02 Lexus Riley.

Chip Ganassi Racing's impressive line-up embraces two Indianapolis 500 titles (Montoya in 2000 and Wheldon in 2005), three open wheel championships (Montoya 1999 Champ Car title, Dixon the 2003 IRL title, and Wheldon the 2005 IRL title), and two Daytona Prototype Championships (Pruett in 2004 and 2006).

"Last year's Daytona win was a big one for this team, and we think we have another great opportunity to duplicate that feat this year," team boss Chip Ganassi said.

"We have, in the past, utilized drivers from other series to expand our Rolex 24 program, and Juan Pablo, Scott [Dixon], Dan and Salvador will complement our roster and provide us with another excellent chance of winning this race."

The two Ganassi Daytona Prototypes led a total of 360 out of 734 laps in last year's event, and ran first and second for the majority of the event before the No. 01 car was relegated to the garage.

The No. 02 car, driven by Wheldon, Dixon and Casey Mears, picked up the lead, marking the first win for the team at the Rolex 24 in the team's third attempt.