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JUAN PABLO MONTOYA

Won Indy 2000, 2015

Date of interview: May 2015

The engines are now quiet and Dad has been whisked away to “Victory Circle.” The Montoya girls, Paulina (standing) and sister Manuela, indicate their approval.

Juan Pablo savoring his second time in Victory Circle—fifteen years after the first.

Solo shot at the Bricks with the “victory lap” car behind.

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION:

Jimmy Vasser had a huge lead, and he was matching my speed at that time and I was worried that he was going to gain on me. I do remember that. You’ve got to prepare the car, work on it, make sure you have a good car.

See how it behaves. See how you’re stacked against everybody else. See what you have to do to win it. It’s the whole race.

You can work on it and be in the perfect position and on the last stop. You have a bad stop, and you’ve lost everything. You’ve got to be prepared for anything.

ON BEING AMONG THE OTHER ELITE WINNERS:

To be honest with you?

I dunno. I always tell people, “The day I stop racing, I’ll look back on what I’ve done and say, ‘That was really cool.’”

Right now, I focus on what I need to do.

Note: One day after this short interview, Montoya won the race for the second time. He seemed to savor the moment and included his young family in the celebrations.

Autograph Day 2015. Still a one-time Indy winner in this picture.

In his 2000 winning image he is “Juan Montoya.” His 2015 image will include his famous middle name.

How often are you likely to see Roger Penske wearing his cap backwards?