Racing icon to make NASCAR return after a decade

Montoya will drive the No. 50 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) on Sept. 15. The race will be his first in the Cup Series since the 2014 Brickyard 400 and the final start of the season for 23XI's part-time third entry. 

The No. 50 car also ran at COTA with Kamui Kobayashi and at Nashville with Corey Heim earlier in the season. Mobil 1 will sponsor Montoya's car just as they did with Kobayashi and Heim as part of the company's 50th-anniversary celebration.

Montoya is a former Cup Series winner at Watkins Glen, beating Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose and AJ Allmendinger for the win in the 2010 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. The win was one of Montoya's two Cup Series wins, with the other coming at Sonoma in 2007. 

23XI's car will likely be one of the best cars (if not the best) Montoya has ever driven at the Cup Series level. Montoya drove full-time for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2007 to 2013 and while he was able to win two races and make the Chase once with the team, mechanical issues and middling cars compared to the competition likely held him back more often than not. 

Montoya will take the green flag with the rest of the Cup Series field at Watkins Glen on Sept. 15. The Go Bowling At The Glen will go green shortly after 3 p.m. ET on September 15, with coverage on USA Network, MRN, the NBC Sports App and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.