Montoya gets first Cup win

SONOMA, Calif. – Juan Pablo Montoya demonstrated his road racing prowess again Sunday, stretching his final fuel load to the limit and grabbing his first NASCAR Nextel Cup win at Infineon Raceway.

Montoya, who qualified a disappointing 32nd in the 43-car field, was the first driver to win on the Northern California road circuit starting further back than 13th.

The Colombian driver, who jumped from Formula One to the American stock car circuit late last season, got his first Cup win in his 17th start and gave team owner Chip Ganassi his first win in NASCAR’s top series since Jamie McMurray won in October 2002.

Montoya, whose only other NASCAR victory came earlier this year in a Busch Series race on the road course in Mexico City, passed McMurray, who now drives for Roush Fenway Racing, eight laps from the end and stayed out front of the 110-lap event on the 1.99-mile, 12-turn course.

McMurray ran out of gas at the start of lap 109 and wound up finishing 37th.

Kevin Harvick inherited second place and finished there, followed by his Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer, who all got great fuel mileage.

Series points leader Jeff Gordon overcame a 41st-place start to finish just behind Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart in seventh with a strategic effort in the first road race for NASCAR’s new Car of Tomorrow.

Robby Gordon also was a victim of failed strategy after leading a race-high 48 laps. He finished 16th.