WATCH LIVE: Juan Pablo Montoya seeks return to IndyCar glory at Pocono - MotorSportsTalk

Today at Pocono Raceway, Juan Pablo Montoya will seek to cap off his comeback to IndyCar racing with a win from the pole position in the Pocono IndyCar 500.

Coverage of today’s race will air LIVE on NBCSN starting at Noon ET, but in case you can’t get near a TV, CLICK HERE to stream the race online and on your mobile device through NBC Sports Live Extra.

After winning the Indianapolis 500 and the CART championship in 2000, Montoya moved on to Formula One (2001-2006) before flipping to stock car racing with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (full-time, 2007-2013).

But last fall, Montoya decided to go back to IndyCar with Team Penske. And as the Colombian has gotten re-acclimated to the discipline, he’s started to up his performance with podium finishes in two of the last three Verizon IndyCar Series events.

Yesterday in qualifying, Montoya edged out Penske teammate Will Power to claim his 15th career IndyCar pole and his first since the 2000 race at Surfer’s Paradise, Australia.

As for Power, he’ll start alongside Montoya on the front row as he seeks to maintain his championship lead this afternoon. Power holds a 39-point edge on another Penske teammate, Helio Castroneves, who starts seventh on the 21-car grid. It’s also worth noting that since today’s race is a 500-miler, double championship points will be up for grabs.

If you plan to stream today’s race, be sure to have your username and password from your cable/satellite/telco provider handy so your subscription can be verified. Once you plug those pieces of information in, you’ll have access to the stream.

Again, CLICK HERE at Noon ET to stream NBCSN’s coverage of the Pocono IndyCar 500.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”