Q & A with Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya: Oh! I can't even believe this. It's been an amazing day for the whole team. My Texaco/Havoline Dodge was amazing today. We had a fast car we just looked after all day long. Strategy worked good, great pit stops and just everything fall into place. You know, one of those days when you're meant to win you're gonna win, whatever happens.

Q. At what point did you realise you had enough fuel to win the race?

JPM: They told me it was going to be close, and I knew I was driving very careful with the throttle, letting the car roll. So I'm thinking "it's gonna be good, I think I'll be close" but, I'm thinking "I don't want to get to the end and get second". So I drove a bit harder, went by Jamie and then started saving a bit more fuel.

Q. Did you need to establish a sizable lead to possibly save a little bit of fuel on that last lap?

JPM: That's what we did. In the last lap I rolled a lot. I went through the first few corners and I'm just looking at the yellow light "don't come on". I have a yellow light for low fuel, when that happens I got about ten seconds of fuel.

Q. You came all the way back from 32nd; how in the world did you make it all the way to the front?

JPM: We passed a lot of cars and the team did an awesome job in the pits as well. So everything, just everything fall into place. You know it's funny, when you start passing the first few cars early on they're pretty easy, further forward you go it just gets harder and harder and harder, and you just gotta be very smart the way you race.

Q. It was quite a battle with Jamie McMurray.

JPM: He was good. I didn't think I had the car to beat him, and then he started spinning the tyres and stuff like that. And I'm thinking, "just give me half a chance and I'll get you."

Q. Juan, what does this prove by winning so soon?

JPM: You know, it's just amazing. I think it shows what the whole Chip Ganassi organisation wants to do and, one thing I want to say sorry to is Kurt Busch, I spun him. It wasn't my plan to be honest. I feel very sorry for him.

Q. Do you get a sense that this is bigger than just a race win; that fans on two or three continents are going to take note of this win as a major moment?

JPM: I think it's a major moment for NASCAR, and it's a cool moment. It shows what NASCAR is all about, it's great racing. I don't think there's any other racing you can start this far back and actually have a chance of winning.

Q. I gotta ask about the contact with McMurray, I guess bumped a little bit, was that just good racing?

JPM: Yeah, you know he braked, I braked, and I braked a little late and just locked the tyres. When he came alongside I didn't even try to race him because it was his position then.

Q. Juan, did you have a suspicion that your first NASCAR win would come on a road course?

JPM: Well, it was more likely than on an oval to start with but, I didn't really expect it to be today.

Q. There were three opportunities you had to pass him [Jamie McMurray]: the first was the bump, the second was turn 11 where you almost had him, and then you finally passed him one lap later. Talk about that series and then the eventual pass.

JPM: Oh, we were very close. I thought "maybe here, maybe there" but you don't want to spin him off or anything so you've got to be a bit careful. And he was always high in turn two a little bit. And I'm thinking, if I can get half of a chance to just get in there, I'll get the car in there and I'll get him, and it worked good.

Q. Of all your wins, where do you rank this?

JPM: Oh, this is huge, it's unbelievable. My first Nextel Cup win, it's just huge: it's way up there.

Q. What were you thinking when you took the chequered flag?

JPM: I could not believe it, it took a lot of pressure off me, believe me.