Why Juan Pablo Montoya could win in one-off NASCAR return

You won't find Juan Pablo Montoya on the list of outright favorites to win Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, but that doesn't mean you should write off the 48-year-old racing legend right out of the gate.

Montoya hasn't made a Cup Series start since the 2014 Brickyard 400 and has never turned a lap in NASCAR's Next Gen car. Saturday's practice session will be Montoya's first taste of the vehicle and shortly after practice, he'll be asked to run the fastest lap he can with a car that will be set up on the edge of control.

What could make Montoya's 256th Cup Series start different from the 255 before it? The quality of the 23XI Racing car underneath him.

Montoya was fortunate to drive for a solid mid-pack team in Chip Ganassi Racing for much of his career, but as good as a driver as he was, two wins and one Chase appearance is all he had to show for it.

Ganassi could always be counted on to snag their share of top-10's and wins, but they could never quite catch up the Hendrick, Gibbs or Penske.

Starting in 2011, Montoya's performance began to noticeably dip, leading to three consecutive seasons of sub-20th-place points finishes. At the end of 2013, he was out of the No. 42 car, giving way to a young hotshot from California by the name of Kyle Larson.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Montoya and his successor in the No. 42 car do battle on Sunday, though Montoya will also have to go through the likes of Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick and William Byron to get to victory lane.

With the best equipment he's had in NASCAR at his disposal and more road-course laps under his belt than almost any driver in NASCAR, Montoya is a sleeper who won't be quiet when the green flag waves on Sunday.

Saturday's qualifying session will be pivotal to success on Sunday, but if Montoya can place the No. 50 inside the top-20, the 2010 Watkins Glen winner will have a dangerous asset for any driver making a one-off appearance — confidence, as well as the knowledge that he has nothing to lose.