Montoya makes first visit to ESPN campus

Juan Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya has a long list of racing accomplishments. He's a two-time Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winner, 1999 Indy car champion, won seven Formula One races, two in NASCAR Cup and has a Rolex 24 At Daytona title to his credit.

You'd think, with that impressive of a resume, Montoya certainly has visited the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., before to talk about his achievements. You'd be wrong.

Montoya made the rounds March 7 at the "worldwide leader in sports" to promote the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season opening March 11-13 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Montoya, the defending St. Pete and Indy 500 champion, was a guest on "SportsCenter" and made appearances on several other ESPN and ESPN Deportes entities throughout the day.

Surprisingly, it marked the 40-year-old Colombian's first trip there.

"Guess I've just been able to avoid it until now," he said this morning with a laugh. "It's a lot bigger place than I thought, a lot bigger than people probably realize. It's pretty amazing.

"It's exciting with the start of the season," he added. "This is a great way to promote the season and get the noise out about it. The timing is very good."