Jimmie Johnson apparently has had enough of driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

Johnson made it clear at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last week that he won’t be giving Montoya any more breaks on the track after Montoya and Johnson made contact in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301, causing Johnson to spin late in the race. The normally mild-mannered Johnson was livid with Montoya.

“Three strikes for the 42,” he said on his radio to his team. “I was going up through there and the [expletive] 42 turned down on me in [Turn] 1.”

Johnson, the five-time defending Sprint Cup champion, hadn’t cooled down much after the race.

“I don’t think of the three times he’s wrecked me it’s been intentional, but he’s out of mulligans, and I’ve had enough of, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, and you’re spun out.’ It’s happened way to often,” Johnson said.

Montoya is in a position where he can’t give an inch on the track. He’s 17th in the standings and 59 points out of 10th with seven races left before the Chase For The Sprint Cup field is set.

But it’s not just about trying to get into the top 10 for Montoya. The Colombian driver has two of his best chances for a victory coming up in the next two weeks at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen.

If he can win one of those, he’d be eligible for one of the two wild cards based on wins if he can stay in the top 20.

So Montoya can’t back down, and it’s not in his nature to do so, anyway. He needs to push hard and climb as high in points as he can.

Johnson doesn’t need to worry about points. He’s second overall in the standings and has a 75-point cushion on 11th place, so it’s highly unlikely he could lose that over the next seven races. If he wants to lean on Montoya and not give him any room, he can do that.

But tangling with the fiery Montoya is always a risky proposition. Montoya has created conflict with numerous drivers during his brief NASCAR career, and Johnson could end up like Ryan Newman, whom Montoya retaliated against and sent into the wall at Richmond April 30. Newman later got his own revenge, allegedly taking a swing at Montoya in the NASCAR hauler.

So this feud between two drivers who have won championships – Johnson in NASCAR, Montoya in IndyCar – could carry on, at least for the next seven weeks.

It could be good theater. Both drivers are fierce competitors. Montoya wants so badly to win Cup races and make the Chase. And Johnson isn’t going to let any driver hinder his shot at a sixth consecutive championship.

(source)