What started as a trickle back now seems like a flood, as several drivers from major open-wheel series have tested their skills at stock car’s highest level. None, however, have come close to Stewart’s success.
Juan Pablo Montoya brought in a resume that included the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) season title in 1999 and a Formula One victory in the 2003 Monaco Grand Prix. In 2000 he won the Indianapolis 500 while driving for Chip Ganassi.
Montoya had one Sprint Cup race for Ganassi in 2006 and then joined his team for a full season in 2007, ending up 20th in points and winning a race on the road course in Sonoma, Calif. This year Montoya stands 22nd in points and has no wins with just two top 10s in 20 events.
Patrick Carpentier earned the CART Rookie of the Year award in 1997 and also competed in the Champ Car World Series and Indy Racing League. After three Cup races last season, including a 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen, Carpentier has driven in 17 events this year, with a pole and a best finish of 14th. He’s 36th in the points standings.
A.J. Allmendinger ran in 17 Cup races in 2007 with no top 10s after competing in Champ Car for three years, taking the Rookie of the Year award in 2004. He has no top 10s in 12 Cup races this year with the Red Bull Racing Team and is 40th in points.
Hornish jumped from Roger Penske’s IRL operation to his Sprint Cup team after he tried two Cup races in 2007. Hornish has run in every race this year — he’s guaranteed a starting spot because his No. 77 Dodge is 34th in the car owners’ points standings, which determine who has to qualify on time. The top 35 are guaranteed spots in each race.
Hornish has no top 10s and is 33rd in drivers’ points. But at least he has a job.
Franchitti moved from Andretti Green in the IRL to Ganassi in Sprint Cup and immediately struggled. He finished out of the top 30 in his first five races, then he had to start qualifying on time and missed seven races because he wasn’t fast enough in qualifying and also because of a broken ankle.
He was 41st in drivers’ points and his No. 40 Dodge was 41st in owners’ points when Ganassi shut the team down for lack of sponsorship. Ganassi said the financial drain threatened his two other teams for Montoya and Reed Sorenson.
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