After making the Chase in 2009, Juan Pablo Montoya was picked by some to not only make the Chase but contend for the title in 2010.
Instead of the success that he found in 2009, Montoya and his team struggled more often then they did contend for wins and the Chase.
His season started off with a solid top 10 finish at Daytona International Speedway, but back to back 37th place finishes saw him 26th in the standings.
Montoya and his team were in a hole early but were confident they could climb their way back into Chase contention.
He rebounded at Atlanta with a third place finish but struggled at Martinsville and Texas with 36th and 34th place finishes.
When Montoya ran well he finished top five and top 10. The key though was for them to find that consistency on a week to week basis.
His up and down season continued where he earned his first pole of the season at New Hampshire but he finished 34th.
He didn’t score another top 10 until his win at Watkins Glen in August. It capped off a two week span where Montoya and his crew chief Brian Pattie were a hot topic. Two different weeks pit calls cost Montoya not only good finishes but a shot at a win.
"It's been frustrating because you could see the performance getting better and better. Even last year in the Chase -- we finished second, finished third, finished second, finished third -- that freaking win would never come, so it was getting frustrating. To come out and get the job done the way we did, it was big. I feel more relieved than happy right now. It's been a really hard road in a way. It's been a lot of fun; it's been frustrating. To finally get that first win for Brian, I think it's good. I think we can just focus on getting the job done" Montoya said.
After their win at the Glen, Montoya and his team strung together four top 10 finishes and were sitting 16th in the points. Montoya missed the Chase because of an up and down regular season.
In the final 10 races of the year, Montoya had one top 5 and that was a third at Talladega. He had six finishes of 16th or worse.
The story of the year for Montoya was the teams struggle to be consistent. When Montoya had the car under him and they made the right adjustments and pit calls, he was one of the best guys out there.
In 2010, Montoya had six top fives, 14 top 10’s along with his one win. Montoya ran 80 percent of the laps run on the lead lap.
His average starting position was 11.6 and an average finish of 18th. Montoya led 411 laps and spent 66.3 percent of the laps in the top 15.
While making the Chase was a team goal, their focus shifted as they struggled to be consistent. It was his inconsistency in the end that cost him from making the Chase.
He finished 17th in the standings.
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