Juan Pablo Montoya to Pilot No. 50 Toyota for 23XI Racing at Watkins Glen

23XI Racing announced on Friday (August 2) that Juan Pablo Montoya will drive their No. 50 Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, Sept. 15.

“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,” Montoya said in a statement to NASCAR.com.

“It’s an honor to celebrate the Mobil 1 team’s remarkable legacy in racing and be recognized 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.”

For Montoya, it will be his first start in the Cup Series since the 2014 Brickyard 400 when he finished 23rd behind the wheel of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske.

Montoya ran full-time in the Cup Series for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2007 to 2013, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for seven seasons. Montoya accrued two road course wins, taking the checkered flag at Sonoma in 2007 and Watkins Glen in 2010. Montoya’s highest Cup Series points finish came in 2009 when he made the postseason and placed eighth.

Watkins Glen will mark the fourth and final appearance of 23XI Racing’s No. 50 car for the 2024 season. Kamau Kobayashi, Ty Dillon, and Corey Heim have driven the No. 50 once each this season, with Kobayashi collecting the No. 50 team’s best finish of 25th at Circuit of the Americas back in March.

“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 honored to have been a part of adding to the Mobil 1 legacy and celebrating such a momentous occasion.”