Juan Pablo Montoya Named to People en Español's "50 Most Beautiful" List By Diecast DudePosted on Sat Apr 26, 2008 at 01:49:08 PM EST
(Courtesy Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)
CONCORD, N.C. (April 25, 2008) - Juan Pablo Montoya, NASCAR
Sprint Cup driver for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, will make his
first appearance in People en Español's
special-edition magazine as one of its 50 Most Beautiful of 2008.
Montoya earned a spot beside singer Christina Aguilera, designer Daisy Fuentes
and actor and current participant on "Dancing with the Stars" Christián de la
Fuente on the exclusive list. Montoya is one of just four athletes whose photos
will appear in the magazine along with NFL quarterback Tony Romo, NHL center
Scott Gómez and basketball player Alexis Castro.
Montoya participated in a special photo shoot on location in Miami for the
magazine in February before heading out to the NASCAR race at California
Speedway. Aside from an interview for the magazine, Montoya made a few wardrobe
changes and even spent a few minutes in the make-up chair in preparation for the
shoot.
Montoya drives the No. 42 Wrigley'sTM Juicy Fruit® and Texaco/Havoline Dodge and
currently sits 17th in the championship standings. He earned the 2007 NASCAR
Sprint Cup rookie of the year honors along with a victory in the Cup race at
Infineon Raceway in California. He also captured his first stock car victory in
the Nationwide race last March in Mexico City.
Over the last 18 months since making his NASCAR debut, the former Indy 500 champ
and Formula One star has been featured in or graced the cover of hundreds of
publications all over the world including such notables as Sports Illustrated,
USA Today, ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Deportes, NASCAR Illustrated, The New York
Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.
CGRFS Quoteboard:
Juan Pablo Montoya:
"When I first heard about it I was like `me, really?' I didn't believe it. But
it is good for the sport of NASCAR to have someone represented from the Latino
community and in a magazine as popular as People en Español. It was interesting
to see how magazines like this do photo shoots - it's quite a production. It's
definitely different than what I'm used to - wearing a firesuit in front of a
yellow Juicy Fruit or black Texaco/Havoline car...but it was still fun."
Steve Lauletta, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams President:
"The recognition of Juan Pablo in consumer lifestyle media such as
People en Español illustrates that his reach is far
beyond the sports page. His presence in the sport of NASCAR has added a new and
unique storyline previously not represented with other drivers. And this added
coverage benefits everyone, including the team, the sponsors and the sport as a
whole."
Paul Chibe, Vice President of U.S. Gum Marketing, Wrigley:
"We send our congratulations to Juan on receiving this special recognition as it
is a clear testament to his popularity with race fans worldwide. Juan's good
looks have already earned him a spot in the most recent Juicy Fruit and Big Red
commercials, so he should be used to the attention!"
Ann Barker, Manager, Motorsports & Sponsorships Texaco/Havoline
"We congratulate Juan Pablo on being selected to the list and the recognition
that comes with this unique opportunity."
Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.
With 3 wins already in 2008, the team continues to add to its tally of 92 trips
to victory lane. Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and
established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target. Today, his teams include
two IRL IndyCars, and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a Daytona
Prototype in the world of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi's
IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 57 wins since 1994; his NASCAR
teams have 12 wins and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the Grand American
team has won two Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the
three-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing
operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and
Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information
visit
www.chipganassiracing.com.
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