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Juan Pablo Montoya officially joins Team Penske sportscar program

By Brittany Frederick

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 15: Juan Pablo Montoya is seen during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 15, 2017 in Indianapolis, In. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 15: Juan Pablo Montoya is seen during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 15, 2017 in Indianapolis, In. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Former IndyCar title contender Juan Pablo Montoya has returned to Team Penske as one of the drivers for the organization’s upcoming IMSA program.

Juan Pablo Montoya is back as a full-time racing driver, rejoining Team Penske to drive in its new IMSA sportscar program next season. Montoya’s return was revealed Tuesday and confirmed by Racer.

He shares a Penske Acura ARX-05 with Dane Cameron, who will enter the 2018 season as the defending IMSA Prototype class champion.

Montoya, who is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and narrowly missed out on an IndyCar championship in 2015, had been tipped to join Penske’s IMSA effort since he left IndyCar, but Tuesday’s announcement makes it official.

He exited Team Penske’s IndyCar squad after the 2016 season to make way for current points leader Josef Newgarden, but a move to IMSA in 2018 was heavily rumored to be the other half of that decision.

Montoya returned to Penske to run both Indianapolis races this IndyCar season, and he also won the individual portion of the Race of Champions this spring, so he’s still one of the top drivers in the world.

“When Roger [Penske] asked if I’d like to be part of starting this new sports car operation with Acura, it was an easy decision,” Montoya said Tuesday per Racer. “I’ve always loved racing sports cars. It’s definitely a challenge and it’s going to be a lot of fun to develop a new car with Acura.

“I’m excited to start the testing of the ARX-05 next week. Team Penske started its winning tradition in sports cars and it’s going to be cool to be a part of a new chapter with the team.”

Given his history with Team Penske and his history as one of the best drivers on the market, Juan Pablo Montoya is the perfect choice to get Penske’s latest team off to a good start but also set it up for long-term success. Pairing him with Cameron, who’s a proven winner and IMSA veteran, is a great match that should make them championship contenders in 2018.

The question now is who will join Cameron and  Juan Pablo Montoya as the drivers of the second Team Penske IMSA entry? There’s one more car to fill, and Penske didn’t announce who will be in it on Tuesday.

Rumors persist that it will be Montoya’s former IndyCar colleague and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, but Castroneves has made no decision on his future while he’s still in the thick of the 2017 IndyCar championship battle.

Next: Does Tony Kanaan see his future in IndyCar?

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