But Montoya thinks it's far too early to tell what impact Jimmy Elledge will have on his team. Elledge and Donnie Wingo switched teams, with Wingo going to Reed Sorenson's crew, right before Sunday's race at Talladega.
It was part of the shakeup owner Chip Ganassi had warned was coming as a means to jump-start his slumping teams, but Montoya was hesitant to credit Elledge for the outcome.
"I think here, the difference between Donnie and Jimmy, I don't think there's any difference," Montoya said. "We were always in the right place at the right time (at Talladega) and I don't think Donnie would have done anything different."
Still, the finish had to buoy a team that entered Talladega a disappointing 17th in the Sprint Cup standings. With the second-place finish, Montoya jumped all the way to 12th and into contention for a berth in the Chase for the championship.
It marked a banner day for Ganassi, who in addition to Montoya's finish, got two wins in two different series Sunday. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas teamed to win the Rolex Grand-Am event at Virginia International Raceway and Dan Wheldon won the IndyCar Series race at Kansas Speedway.
"As a team owner, who is involved in a number of different series, you live for days like that," Ganassi said.
Now he hopes the success will continue on for his NASCAR operation, which is led by Montoya. The three Sprint Cup teams have lagged behind the competition this season, and they head into Richmond this weekend with Reed Sorenson ranked 32nd and Dario Franchitti's team 36th. Franchitti broke his ankle in a wreck at Talladega and will miss the Richmond race.
But it will be the first true test of the crew chief swap, and Montoya is eager to get more involved with Elledge.
"Jimmy and I have a good relationship and I think we will work together very good," Montoya said. "But Donnie and I had a good relationship, too. I really liked working with Donnie. He looks after the driver and I'm a little sad about it. But it was what was best for the overall team, the change was needed and that's where we are.
"Whatever is best for the team is what I will do."
Montoya was teamed with Wingo when he made the jump from Formula One to NASCAR, and the veteran helped Montoya adjust to stock cars as he eased into his new series. He took a conservative approach that helped Montoya win in Sonoma last year en route to Rookie of the Year honors.
Elledge, on the other hand, is a known gambler who will get aggressive in search of victories.
"I think Jimmy takes chances and does whatever he has to do to get the job done," Montoya said.
Regardless of what Elledge does to improve the No. 42 team, Montoya believes Sorenson will benefit the most from the move.
"If I run the same as what I did with Donnie, I will be happy," he said. "Of course I want to run better, but I don't think Jimmy is going to change the performance of my car much. But for Reed, this can be very good and help the team mentally and take it forward."
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Q: What did you think of Dario's wreck?
JPM: You look at the bright side -- a hit like that in open-wheel, the last time I saw something like that was (Alex) Zanardi. From that point of view, it was good because Dario only broke his ankle. The cars are pretty safe. A hit like that -- ugh, I don't even want to think about how bad it could have been.
Q: He broke his left ankle, and the main reason he'll miss races is because he brakes with his left foot. Which do you use?
JPM: I use my left. Since 2000 I've left braked. All my life I used the right foot. In 2000, I couldn't slow down fast enough with my right foot. I couldn't put enough pressure on the brake pedal so I started left-braking. And in Formula One, you just have two pedals and the way my car was set up, even if I wanted to right-foot brake, I couldn't. My feet couldn't move.
Q: So what's more common in NASCAR?
JPM: I would think left. Because on the ovals, you have to be able to control how you slow down. For me, left foot is just easier. The first time I did it, it felt weird. But then you get used to it.
Q: So how big of a setback is this for Dario?
JPM: It's tough because he'd been up to speed lately and running better. Tough for the whole team. But this is where we are and this is what we have to deal with. It's not like you have a choice.
Q: You were named one of the 50 Most Beautiful people for People Magazine's Latin America edition. I never realized you were so hot.
JPM: Shut up. When they told me, I thought "What the heck? Me?'
Q: Maybe some people out there think you are hot?
JPM: Maybe? Or maybe some people are just crazy. They just went down the list and there was nobody else.
Q: Was it different from other photo shoots you have done?
JPM: It was weird because it was all about how I looked. Lights, makeup, clothes. But it was OK. They tried mascara. I looked at the guy like "forget it.' I said I want to look just a little good in the picture -- not great.
Q: Has anyone made fun of you about it? Besides me?
JPM: Not yet. But I don't think it's out yet.
Q: Has (wife) Connie seen the photos?
JPM: Yes, on the internet. She said "Oh, you look good.' She didn't seem too impressed.
Q: She always knew you were hot, though.
JPM: Of course she did.
Q: Before I forget, what did you think of Danica Patrick's win in Japan?
JPM: I think it's good. She's with a really good team, so it was meant to happen sooner or later. She did a really good job with the fuel mileage and she won. Now I am sure she will be thinking now she has to win one without fuel mileage. A win is a win, and at the end of the day when they look back a year from now at how she won, they won't even remember. They'll only know she won.
Stewart has plenty of reasons to leave JGR
SAFER barriers going into Lowe’s backstretch
