“I’m not looking for a job”: Juan Pablo Montoya opens up on his NASCAR return with 23XI Racing

Juan Pablo Montoya recently appeared in an interview with renowned FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass and revealed why he had agreed to run this year's playoff race at Watkins Glen International. The event, known as "Go Bowling at The Glen", is just over a month away. Montoya will be driving the No. 50 Toyota for 23XI Racing in the 90-lap race.

23XI Racing currently fields two full-time cars: the #45 driven by Tyler Reddick and the #23 driven by Bubba Wallace. The team is owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and former NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Juan Pablo Montoya drove a Cup car for the last time in 2014 for Team Penske. The 48-year-old Columbian has a pair of victories in the Cup Series, both of which came at road courses (Sonoma and Watkins Glen, 2010).

Montoya has run several races at the Watkins Glen International with the IMSA and IndyCar. He has 12 starts at WGI on four different platforms. However, he has never driven the NextGen Cup before.

"I always enjoyed running at The Glen, to be honest," Montoya told Pockrass. "I have been to The Glen many times with the IMSA, with IndyCar...I know the track well. I thought it would be a fun thing to do."

The veteran racer said that Steve Lauletta, President of 23XI Racing, had reached out to him with the opportunity. Recalling the same, Montoya said,

"Steve Lauletta called me and said 'Hey, will you be interested in doing Watkins?' and I thought that would be fun. Honestly, it was pretty much that. I thought it would be pretty cool."

"I'm in the point in my career that honestly, I'm not looking for a job, I'm not looking for anything but an opportunity like this comes along and I think I can still be competitive and have a shot at it, so why not?" he added.

Montoya's last race in the Cup Series was the 2014 Brickyard 400. Hendrick Motorsports icon Kyle Larson won the prestigious event this year, en route to his 4th win of the season.

Steve Lauletta on Juan Pablo Montoya's NASCAR return

According to Steve Lauletta, Juan Pablo Montoya's involvement in the history of the No. 50 machine is special. The race on September 15th is deemed as the final event of the 3-race celebration of Mobi1's 50th anniversary.

The first of the three races featured Formula 1 sensation Kamui Kobayashi driving the car at Circuit of The Americas in March. Later, the #50 was wheeled by Corey Heim at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Therefore, slating Montoya to end the celebration is only fitting.

"Juan Pablo Montoya is a world-class driver who has won in everything he’s driven, and he will be a great closer to the 50th-anniversary celebration we’ve had in NASCAR with the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota," Lauletta said (via On3). "The events have highlighted racing legends as well as what’s next in motorsports, and 23XI has been honored to have been a part of adding to the Mobil 1 legacy and celebrating such a momentous occasion."

Juan Pablo Montoya has run races as a full-time driver in several disciplines, i.e., Formula One, CART, IndyCar, and IMSA. Besides winning the CART championship in 1999, Montoya won the IMSA championship in 2019. He has two Indy 500 wins to his name and flaunts three wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.