Whenever we talk about famous race car drivers, there are very few of them who can shift from one motorsport discipline to another, and could do well in that regard. Some crossed from Formula One to rallying, and even from two wheels to four wheels. And there's the coveted Triple Crown of Motorsport, which is quite simply the holy grail, one of the greatest achievements that any race car driver could have.
In the current pool of active drivers, only two are close to achieving that feat, with both of them having the two legs of the Triple Crown already. Here's a driver who has done that, and he is no other than Juan Pablo Montoya.
10 Born In 1975
Montoya raced in the 2021 Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren SP, and it is something you would not expect from a 45-year-old man.
The Colombian legend was born on September 20, 1975, in Bogota, Colombia, where he was taught the basics of racing through karting with the guidance of his father Pablo.
9 F3000 Career
Formula 2, F1's feeder series, used to go through different names before ending up in its current designation. Back in the 90s and until 2004, the feeder formula for F1 was called the F3000.
Montoya was the F3000 champion in 1998 with four wins, seven pole positions and nine podium finishes in just twelve races. He competed against then fellow future F1 driver Nick Heidfeld who was racing for McLaren.
8 Crossover Race Winner
Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Montoya has won races in multiple motorsport disciplines he has undertaken. He has won in F1, IndyCars, and NASCAR, and shares that feat with Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win in the said racing championships.
Montoya has won on street circuits, ovals, and even road courses in different machinery, making the Colombian legend one of the most talented drivers ever.
7 1999 CART Champion
In his very first season in the open-wheeled Championship Auto Racing Teams or CART, Juan Pablo Montoya won the drivers' championship in 1999 after winning seven races. Montoya was tied in points with Dario Franchitti at the end of the season, but won thanks to having more race wins.
He and Nigel Mansell were the only drivers to have won Rookie of the Year as well as the drivers' championship, with Mansell the first to have achieved that feat in 1993.
6 7-Time F1 Race Winner
Montoya entered the world of Formula One during the early 2000s, when Ferrari and Michael Schumacher were dominating the sport. Nevertheless, the Colombian made his mark as one of the quickest drivers during that era thanks to his aggressive driving style.
From 2001 to 2006, Montoya won 7 races while driving for the Williams-BMW and McLaren teams in 95 career starts. He also had 13 pole positions and 30 podium finishes in his Formula One career.
5 Ganassi Racing
Throughout his career, Montoya has had a close relationship with American racing team owner Chip Ganassi, with the Colombian driving multiple times for Ganassi racing in different racing disciplines.
Montoya raced under Chip Ganassi Racing in CART, NASCAR, and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and he has been largely successful in all three categories.
4 Triple Crown Of Motorsport
The coveted Triple Crown of Motorsport is considered one of the greatest achievements for a racing driver. The crown consists of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As of now, Montoya is only one of the two remaining active drivers to have won two legs of the Triple Crown. He came close to achieving the feat when he finished 3rd in the LMP2 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018.
3 NASCAR
After Montoya left F1 in the middle of 2006, he signed a contract to run in the NASCAR series from 2007. However, the Colombian started earlier and made his stock car debut at Talladega in October 2006.
Montoya raced the #42 car from 2006 to 2013 and garnered two wins with 59 top-ten finishes while driving for the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Team.
2 Three-Time Daytona 24 Winner
The 24 Hours of Daytona is an annual 24-hour sports car race held at Daytona International Speedway, that utilizes the oval and road course layout of the circuit.
Montoya had two consecutive victories in 2007 and 2008 when he drove the Daytona Prototype of Chip Ganassi Racing, then added another win in 2015 while driving the Acura ARX-O5 prototype.
1 WeatherTech SportsCar Champion
From 2017 onwards, Montoya competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, driving for Acura Team Penske. Montoya made his debut with fellow IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta that year.
The Colombian was the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion in 2019, after taking three wins in the season together with his partner driver Dane Cameron. Currently, Montoya is driving for Meyer Shank Racing in the 2021 season.