Seven-time Formula 1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya will return to the NASCAR Cup Series for a one-off cameo with 23XI Racing at Watkins Glen on September 15.
New Zealand star Shane van Gisbergen will also race in the Cup Series at the same event in addition to his Xfinity Series duties.
Montoya, 48, competed in 255 Cup Series races over a nine-year period, winning twice, qualifying on pole nine times, and achieving 59 top-ten finishes. His first win came at Sonoma in 2007, and his last came at Watkins Glen in 2007.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in a Cup car and racing at Watkins Glen – a track I really enjoy and had the chance to experience earlier in my career,” said Montoya.
“It’s an honour to celebrate the Mobil 1 team’s remarkable legacy in racing and be recognised for my contributions to motorsports. The Mobil 1 brand was one of my first sponsors when I started racing, so to represent the brand again as they celebrate this milestone will be so special.
“I’m also excited to work with 23XI and experience what the team is building.”
23XI Racing, co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, cameoed several drivers in the team’s #50 23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE in 2024, including Toyota Gazoo Racing’s WEC Team Principal Kamui Kobayashi and rising star Corey Heim.
Travis Pastrana was the first driver to compete in the team’s third entry, finishing eleventh in the 2023 Daytona 500.
The #50 will once again run in a special Mobil 1 livery, celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary.
“Juan Pablo Montoya is a world-class driver who has won in everything he’s driven, and he will be a great closer to the 50th-anniversary celebration we’ve had in NASCAR with the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota,” said Steve Lauletta, President of 23XI Racing.
“The events have highlighted racing legends as well as what’s next in motorsports, and 23XI has been honoured to have been a part of adding to the Mobil 1 legacy and celebrating such a momentous occasion.”
In addition to his seven Formula 1 Grand Prix wins, Montoya featured on the podium 30 times in his 95 wins.
He has also won the Indy 500 twice, most recently in 2015, when he finished runner-up in the series. In 57 IndyCar starts, he claimed five race wins.
Montoya is also a three-time winner of the 24 Hours at Daytona and was the outright 2019 IMSA WeatherTeck SportsCar Series champion.
Header Image: Penske Entertainment: James Black
