Montoya-Newman rivalry not over yet

Montoya-Newman rivalry not over yet

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(May 6, 2011)

DARLINGTON , S.C. —For anyone who believed Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya might bury the hatchet before Saturday's Showtime Southern 500, think again.

In the aftermath of a pair of on-track incidents during last Saturday's Crown Royal Presents 400 at Richmond , NASCAR summoned both drivers to a meeting before Sprint Cup practice Friday. To say the drivers failed to see eye-to-eye is an understatement.

It was more like fist to face.

A FOXSports.com report cited sources saying that an altercation occurred during the meeting. The FOXSports.com story further cites one source as quoting Montoya saying, 'Newman hits like a girl.'"

Asked about the incident during Friday's Cup time trials, Montoya said, "I'm not going to tell you (expletive). Let's leave it at that. What happened in the trailer was between me, Ryan Newman and NASCAR. That's it."

After qualifying second for Saturday's race at Darlington , Newman likewise declined to provide details of the meeting, but NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp confirmed that the sit-down didn't produce a satisfactory result.

"NASCAR did meet with Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya today before the first Sprint Cup Series practice," Tharp said. "The drivers were given their final warning and are fully aware that we will be watching this very closely. The meeting didn't go as well as we had hoped it would, and we're not completely through with this issue."

For both Newman and Montoya, the race at Richmond likewise didn't go as planned.

Contact between the Chevrolets of Newman and Montoya sent Montoya's pole-winning No. 42 into the outside wall on Lap 106 of the Crown Royal Presents 400. Feeling that Newman hadn't given him the respect he deserved on the racetrack, Montoya spun Newman's No. 39 on Lap 237.

In fact, both drivers cited lack of respect as the root of the problem.

"I know he's a really hard racer, he's really physical—and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you have an amount of respect," Newman said Friday before the meeting with NASCAR. "I think the respect went out the window Saturday night at Richmond . I'm not real sure why."

Newman paid a visit to the NASCAR hauler after the race to discuss the issue with Cup series director John Darby. Newman said that conversation didn't solve much and he reacted to criticism that he sought out the sanctioning body to address the problem.

"Some people out there think that's crying and being a little whiner—but they're not racing anymore," Newman said. "Ultimately, I don't know how it's all going to play out. I don't want to do anything to his team or to my team in a bad way. Like I said, it was a personal thing, and it will get handled personally."