(Photo: (Left to right) Hermie Sadler, Juan Pablo Montoya and Reed Sorenson appeared Thursday night on "iMPACT!" on SpikeTV prior to Sunday's Daytona 500)
nascar.jpg NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya made a smashing debut in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling on Thursday night on "iMPACT!" on SpikeTV. He smacked Lance Hoyt over the head with a steel chair, helping TNA superstar Homicide of the Latin American Xchange gain the victory in a three-way bout.
Montoya was in the corner for Homicide, while fellow NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson was in the corner of Chris Sabin of the Motor City Machineguns for the bout. Jimmy Rave of the Rock N’ Rave Infection, Hoyt’s tag team partner, rejected any NASCAR support.
Former driver and current NASCAR commentator Jimmy Spencer joined the TNA broadcast team for the match. Fellow NASCAR analyst Hermie Sadler also was present for the match – and Sadler actually was shoved to the ground by Hoyt when he tried to stop Hoyt from using the chair to interfere in the match. Montoya ultimately grabbed the chair and whacked Hoyt on top of the head.
“It was a lot of fun, very cool,†Montoya said. “The superstars were very nice; we hung out with them and that was a cool experience.
“I never really thought I was going to hit someone with a chair, but I did. What the wrestlers do is very impressive. I could never get in the ring to wrestle … unless I had a chair.â€
Montoya and Sorenson were interviewed for “TNA iMPACT!†by Sadler, previewing the match and the Daytona 500 race, which is this Sunday, February 17.
The Colombian-born Montoya is a former Formula One and IndyCar driver. He is the only driver to have won the premier North American open-wheel CART title, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona, all in the first attempt. Montoya is one of two drivers to have won the CART title in his rookie year.
Sorenson drives the No. 41 Dodge Charger in the Sprint Cup Series. He earned his first career pole for the Allstate 400 in 2007, becoming the youngest pole-winner ever at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, breaking a 72-year record.
Sadler is a race car driver/announcer and professional wrestling promoter. He made his “TNA iMPACT†color commentating debut in January and has participated in wrestling matches in the past.
Spencer is a legendary NASCAR driver and commentator, nicknamed “Mr. Excitement†for his aggressive racing style. He is a co-host with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace on the Speed Channel’s prerace and postrace NASCAR shows NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane. Spencer is one of the few drivers to have won a race in all three of NASCAR’s top series: Nextel Cup, the Busch Series, and the Craftsman Truck Series.