NEW YORK -- Chip Ganassi was not surprised by what former
open-wheel star Juan Pablo Montoya did on the track in 2006, but
the NASCAR team owner says he was impressed by the way the Nextel
Cup rookie of the year related to his competitors.
"I think first and foremost, he did a great job in the garage
area," Ganassi said of Montoya, who won the 1999 CART championship
and the 2000 Indianapolis 500 driving for Ganassi before spending
several years in Formula One.
"If you look at his garage-area appeal, he started off real
strong, started to go down real fast and just kept his game on,"
Ganassi added. "It was really amazing how other drivers reacted to
him. He came in with a lot of respect, stepped on himself, but then
got it back.
"And, for all the antics he and (Kevin) Harvick had all summer,
it's amazing they're still buddies."
Montoya, who won a road race in both the Cup and Busch series,
and Daytona 500 winner Harvick had several on-track run-ins.
But the Colombian driver said he thoroughly enjoyed his first
full season in stock cars.
"It was exciting," Montoya said. "Every week was a challenge.
"I thought coming back to the races at tracks you already knew
was going to be easier and it wasn't. It was easier, but it wasn't
as easy as I thought it would be because they would bring a
different tire, tracks conditions were a little different. That was
really surprising.
"Altogether, we showed we can improve and where we can be going
as a team, and working together with Chip was really exciting."
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MILLER RETIRES: Don Miller, longtime president of Roger Penske's
NASCAR operation, announced his retirement Thursday in one of
several personnel changes for the team.
The 68-year-old Miller has been with Penske since it began
racing stock cars in 1990. He's been at the top for 75 wins and
more than $90 million in winnings.
"He has been a partner and great friend and he will definitely
be missed," Penske said.
Penske also promoted Mike Nelson to vice president of
operations, and Roy McCauley was selected to replace Nelson as Ryan
Newman's crew chief. McCauley spent last season as Kurt Busch's
crew chief.
McCauley and Newman teamed to win six of nine Busch Series races
in 2005.
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DODGE MODEL: Dodge said Thursday it will use its Charger model
next season in NASCAR, scrapping plans to field the Avenger it used
in Car of Tomorrow races this year.
Dodge used both models this past season.
"When NASCAR originally announced the phase-in plan for the Car
of Tomorrow, it made sense for Dodge to race the Charger and
Avenger," said Michael Accavitti, director of global marketing.
"When the decision was made to race only one car next year, we
talked with our partners ... and they expressed overwhelming
support for Dodge to continue its motorsports heritage with the
Charger nameplate.
"NASCAR rules permit Dodge to use either nameplate in 2008."
The 2008 Dodge Charger lineup will feature five teams with 12
drivers that are a mixture of seasoned veterans, experienced young
talent and champions from other racing series that are newcomers to
NASCAR.
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DAYTONA CAMPAIGN: The Kroger Co. has revved up a marketing
campaign with NASCAR for the 50th running of the Daytona 500.
Dozens of grocery items, including Ruffles potato chips, Chip's
Ahoy cookies, Banquet frozen dinners and many Kroger-brand products
carry Daytona 500 logos.
"We have Daytona 500-branded hot dog buns and hamburger buns,"
said Evan Anthony, vice president of marketing and advertising for
the nation's largest traditional grocery chain. "We changed the
entire can of Kroger coffee to look like the finish-line flag, and
that's in stores now."
More than 200,000 fans are expected to attend the Daytona 500,
and millions more will watch on TV, said David Talley, a spokesman
for Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Kroger isn't sponsoring the big race Feb. 17, but will sponsor
Daytona 500 Qualifying on Feb. 10.
Kroger operates 2,491 supermarkets and multi-department stores
in 31 states under two dozen local banners including Ralphs, Fred
Meyer, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Smith's, Fry's, Dillons, QFC and
City Market.
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On the Net:
www.kroger.com
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com
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AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this story