When Juan Pablo Montoya and Kevin Harvick clashed on and off track at Watkins Glen

Following a thrilling weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen International for the second race of the Round of 16. Former F1 and IndyCar star Juan Pablo Montoya looks forward to his one-off NASCAR start at the famous road course in New York State. Meanwhile, NASCAR in NBC looked back at the time when Montoya almost got into a fistfight with former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick.

It all happened back in 2007 during a Cup Series race. Montoya was running 6th following a late-race restart. His #42 machine got turned by Martin Truex Jr. around turn 1 and, in turn, got hit by Harvick's No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevy. Montoya's machine received another hit to the bumper by Jeff Burton, who, too, spun out from the impact and parked close by.

Montoya and Harvick dismounted their respective cars and confronted each other. A series of shoving and helmet-grabbing followed before the officials intervened. Recalling the brawl, NASCAR on NBC posted a clip of the same and wrote,

"Juan Pablo Montoya and Kevin Harvick traded some shoves at Watkins Glen in 2007."

"Montoya is back in a NASCAR Cup Series car this weekend for the first time since 2014," they added.

Juan Pablo Montoya will drive the No. 50 Toyota for 23XI Racing on the occasion of Mobi1's 50th anniversary. He will start 34th on Sunday. As per NBC, it will be his first Cup Series start in a decade.

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Juan Pablo Montoya reflects on his upcoming Cup endeavor

Juan Pablo Montoya stands on pit road during practice and qualifying for the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International (Source: Imagn)

After having run steadily inside the top 15 during practice, Juan Pablo Montoya was impressed with the sequential gearbox that the NextGen Cup car features. Looking back at the time when the drivers could switch between only three gears, Montoya said,

"I love the sequential gearbox," Montoya said (via roadandtrack.com) "I think that’s amazing. That’s a big change; it’s pretty cool that you are using all the gear. You know, when you see road course racing, a lot of times, you use two or three gears. Here, you are really going through all the gears. I think that’s really cool.

"For me personally, I grew up with that, so I feel at home with it," he added.

Montoya has run 255 NASCAR races over nine years. Throughout the stint, the 48-year-old speedster won two races—the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma (2007) and the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at Watkins Glen International (2011).

Montoya owns 12 starts at 'The Glen' in four different racing series. This time around, he expects a fair and square race without any on-track drama, unlike 17 years ago.

"I don’t want to get in a pissing contest with anyone," Montoya said during the same interview. "If I get to you and I’m quicker than you, I’m going to try and pass you. If you’re quicker than me and you get there, there’s no reason; the race is long enough."

Fans can watch Montoya in action on September 15, 3 PM ET onwards on NBC Sports and USA. Radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.