Montoya learns to harness his ability, temper

Maybe his problem has been downing too much of the good stuff. That mountain-grown coffee, the rich blend found and created throughout the Colombian Riviera, the sort of mixture that would test the patience of anyone with too hefty a taste for his country's pre-eminent export.

The stuff Juan Valdez promoted alongside a mule.

Juan Pablo Montoya entered NASCAR on a full-time basis in 2007 and has since raced as Phil Mickelson golfs, an athlete with all the skill in the world and yet one who often forgets that winning also comes to those who choose restraint over recklessness.

That could all be changing for Montoya.

He didn't have the best car in the Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday, but did have one good enough to finish third at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the kind of early-season result that supports a theory that says Montoya might finally be ready to balance his talent and disposition enough to contend for a championship, that his fuse might not prove as short when things go bad.

They say great singers could belt out the dictionary and make it sound superb. Montoya could drive your kid's toy car to victories. He is that good. He is a past Kart Junior World and CART series champion. He won the Indianapolis 500 and races in Formula One.

He is the most gifted foreign driver to hit NASCAR since Jean Girard, and I would pay to watch Montoya get Kyle Busch in an arm lock and demand he say, "I ... love ... cafe.' "

"It was a big moment when Juan came to NASCAR," said Carl Edwards, who won Sunday's race, seeing the checkered just before Tony Stewart and Montoya. "I still remember when they made that announcement. I was in Phoenix and it was on TV, and I thought, 'Juan Montoya is coming to race here?' It blew my mind that he would make that jump."

Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing won a combined four races in 2010 between Montoya and Jamie McMurray. It's not the sport's premier outfit but is good enough to make the Chase and compete.

It has been a lot of good followed by bad for Montoya. He has yet to win on the oval, his two NASCAR victories coming on road courses, where there isn't a better driver in the Sprint Cup Series and none, for that matter, short of whichever Duke cousin is steering the General Lee.

Montoya qualified for the Chase in 2009 but had eight Did Not Finishes in 2010. He went from Rookie of the Year one year to all sorts of communication and pit problems two years later. His team struggled when NASCAR transitioned from a rear wing to a rear spoiler, meant to adjust the downforce and balance of cars but really something that just sounds like a giant pain in the rear.

But maybe the finish here gives the guy with Clorox on his No. 42 car the clean start he needs.

"I think I've been accepted (in NASCAR) from day one," Montoya said. "I think, actually, before I could have asked (other drivers) and they would tell me anything and now I don't think they tell me as much. That's a positive, I guess, in a way.

"But for me, it's more comfortable. When we get the car working, it works really well. I think going from (the wing to the spoiler) really affected me, and we did a lot of work over the winter. Here we are. It's good."

Said Edwards: "(Montoya) is a fierce competitor. He is fast enough that nobody is going to help him out ... I've really enjoyed racing him lately."

Interesting choice of words. Edwards praised Montoya for how he raced Sunday, specifically near the end when both battled for the lead out of the pits. Montoya's car got loose, but he corrected things and gave Edwards enough room to pass on the outside.

Bad luck touches every driver. Montoya has had his share. But he's far too talented not to contend most weeks. Frustration set in and his patience wavered at key times. He tends to get caught up in the mistakes of others.

That didn't happen here. Montoya finished 19th at Phoenix last week, but spent much of Sunday floating from sixth to eighth before pushing at the end. He led for only seven laps -- 156 fewer than Stewart, who had the best car -- but third place put him fourth overall in points. Montoya also recorded the fewest pit stops Sunday (five).

His was a solid effort, free of mishap and mischief.

"We were good all day," Montoya said. "You know, we really needed a good result."

Maybe this is a start for him, of balancing talent and disposition.

If not, maybe all it will take is fewer cups of the good stuff.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.