NASCAR

• Busch, Montoya Clash Unavoidable

  
  

  By Chris Symeon, Motorsports Editor Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - It's no surprise the arrogance of NASCAR's Juan Pablo Montoya and the cockiness of Kyle Busch would soon cross paths on the track, and it did in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. When the caution flag was displayed in the closing laps of the rain-shortened race, Montoya's No.42 Dodge hit Busch's No.18 Toyota from behind and put Busch in a spin.

  Montoya later admitted during a post-race television interview that he had intentionally hit the current Sprint Cup Series points leader. NASCAR assessed a two-lap penalty to Montoya resulting in a 32nd-place finish. No further penalties will be forthcoming.

  Busch claimed he had no idea what caused the altercation with Montoya. Montoya had a different view. He said that Busch hit him on the backstretch and then during the caution did not give him enough room.

  Montoya's on-track altercation with Busch at New Hampshire is an on-going string of incidents that has occurred since the former Formula 1 star entered NASCAR. Early in his Cup rookie season in 2007, Montoya tangled with Tony Stewart in the spring event at the Texas Motor Speedway. Later in the year at Watkins Glen International, Montoya crashed into Kevin Harvick with a shoving match ensuing after the accident.

  Team owner Chip Ganassi hired Montoya because Ganassi felt Montoya's aggressive driving style would fit NASCAR. And he is apparently correct. Montoya's assertive style is similar to many in the Sprint Cup garage.

  It was inevitable that Montoya and Busch would trade paint.

  Busch, in his first year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, is enjoying his best season with five wins so far. However, it's not without his own share of controversy, particularly in May at the Richmond International Raceway where he spun out fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in final stages of the race.

  So it's not unexpected that Busch and Montoya would have an incident where neither was willing to give an inch. The only surprise is the confrontation didn't escalate into a higher level. Perhaps this is the end of it, just a small note on each driver's resume, or maybe a prelude to NASCAR's next great rivalry.

  06/30 17:02:30 ET