MIAMI: Juan Pablo Montoya's NASCAR Cup debut ended in a ball of flames when his Dodge Charger was tapped from behind on lap 252 of a 267-lap race at Miami Speedway.
The Colombian former McLaren Formula One driver climbed out uninjured after spinning following a clash with a car driven by veteran Ryan Newman.
Montoya started 29th on the grid in a car owned by Chip Ganassi. He had raced as high as 13th place but bumped into veteran Ryan Newman's car five laps earlier to earn a full-course caution.
''The 12 car (Newman) tapped me in the back, I'm not sure,'' Montoya told reporters.
''We proved we could run all day, it's gonna be hard.''
Montoya was in 20th place at the time of the incident.
''What I said to the guys when I signed with Chip was that it won't be easy,'' said Montoya, who had driven in five stock car races in lower division cars before this one.
''I think I've been getting better race by race.''
