CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -He's lost both of his teammates and his primary sponsor, yet Juan Pablo Montoya remains staunchly committed to car owner Chip Ganassi.
So much so, Montoya insists Ganassi is being unfairly critiqued for his struggling NASCAR program.
"I think the NASCAR organization has to go through major changes, and that's the process we are going through right now," said Montoya, a former Formula One driver who won an Indianapolis 500 driving for Ganassi.
"In a way, it's good because everyone who is here wants to succeed and wants to be here. Chip is working very hard to get us better. Are we there? No. But things are starting to click and there's a lot of things coming, and when all those things arrive and you put them in place, we'll be in good shape."
But the organization has weathered several storms this season as Ganassi has tried to get the NASCAR operation on par with his other teams. Scott Dixon wrapped up the IndyCar Series championship on Sunday, and Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas sealed the Grand-Am Series title two weeks ago.
Those successes came at a time when Reed Sorenson announced he'll leave Ganassi at the end of the year to drive for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Dario Franchitti decided to leave NASCAR and move back to the IRL and Texaco said it would end its primary sponsorship of Montoya's car at season's end.
Montoya, who was openly critical of Ganassi earlier this season after a series of crew changes, said his boss has everything under control.
"If I wasn't committed to him, and believed in him, then I wouldn't be here," Montoya said. "It's that simple."
The Franchitti move, Montoya said, was the best thing for the entire organization after his failed NASCAR run. Franchitti left the IRL after winning the Indy 500 and series championship, but never duplicated that success in NASCAR.
He missed five races with a broken ankle, fell out of the top 35 in points, and when sponsorship never materialized, the team was shuttered.
"I think at the end of the day, it was as close as (Franchitti) could get to a happy ending," Montoya said. "I think he gave it a try, and at the end he was getting a lot better. But if you look at it for Chip and the IndyCar program, it's the best decision and (sponsor) Target - they are going to have the last two IndyCar champions and Indy 500 champions under the same roof.
"I think if you look at the big picture, that's a good thing."
Sorenson is leaving after three sub-par Cup seasons with the organization. A young talent who grew up in Ganassi's development system, he's yet to reach the potential the team had for him.
