BUSCH: Montoya masters Mexico.

Juan Montoya won his first race in NASCAR by triumphing in Sunday's Telcel Motorola 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City but his spectacular come-from-behind victory was tainted by a controversial incident that saw the Colombian tip team-mate Scott Pruett into a spin while disputing the lead.

Montoya rolled to a NASCAR victory lane in just his seventh Busch Series start and while the twists and turns of the 2.5-mile ex-Formula One venue undoubtedly played into the hands of the seven-times grand prix winner, his performance was still one of the most electrifying in recent series history.

From third on the grid, Montoya wasted no time in moving to the front, passing his Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate and polesitter Scott Pruett in turn one on lap three of the 80-lap encounter. From there, the #42 Texaco Havoline Dodge was the class of the field for the first half of the race, even though a protracted round of green flag pit-stops allowed a number of other drivers to take turns at the lead.

Just after the halfway mark, the caution flag came out for an incident involving local drivers Jorge Goeters and Carlos Souza, which allowed all the leaders to make what should have been their final stops for fuel and tyres. However, disaster struck for Montoya's crew when they failed to get enough gas in the tank and, while their driver continued to lead when racing resumed, he would have to make an extra stop.

Relief came in the form of another caution period with some 30 laps remaining, allowing Montoya to make his additional stop under the yellow flags. Although Montoya emerged in 19th position, he at least could console himself with the fact that the field was bunched together and his car was easily the quickest on the track.

Montoya's subsequent progress was nothing short of mesmerising as he gained nine places in the first ten green flag laps until the first of a slew of late yellows disrupted the flow of the race.

What the continual delays did do however was give Montoya the opportunity to display his road course mastery as he picked cars off at a race of two to three per lap until, after several more cautions, he found himself sitting in third place for a lap 70 restart behind leader Pruett and defending Mexico City winner Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin was dispatched with typical Montoya aggression almost as soon as the green flag waved and, within the space of a lap, Montoya was on Pruett's rear bumper as they headed towards turn one on lap 72. Whereas Pruett was prepared to allow for Montoya's passing move earlier in the race, he resisted more strongly to his team-mate's somewhat optimistic late lunge into turn one and contact was made.

While Pruett spun back to 17th, Montoya escaped with only light damage to his left front fender but, even with less than perfect aerodynamics, he was still able to hold off Hamlin's advances over the remaining laps, including three further restarts that saw the race run to a green-white-chequered flag finish.

Despite the obvious embarrassment of having taken out his team-mate, Montoya and his Ganassi team allowed themselves to celebrate in a manner that greatly pleased the packed Mexican grandstands if not Pruett, who was left seething despite his own remarkable late fightback to fifth.

Montoya's first win moves him up an incredible 32 places in the points standings to 14th, while second place finisher Hamlin moves into second place in points, 40 points behind new series leader Carl Edwards. Edwards finished fourth, behind Boris Said but ahead of Pruett, with Jason Leffler, Jorge Goeters and Australian Marcos Ambrose, who rounded out the top eight after recovering from his own late race spin.

Adrian Fernandez gave his large legion of fans something to cheer about with a solid run to ninth place although there was less good fortune for Michel Jourdain Jr, who finished 25th after sustaining damage when he clipped a spinning car.