by JEFF OWENS, Special to FOXSports.com

Updated: April 29, 2008, 11:15 PM EST 107 comments

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When you see an unfamiliar face sticking his nose in the lead pack at a wild track like Talladega Superspeedway, it's typically not a fluke (though there have been some shocking upsets there over the years).

Jeff Owens (NASCAR Scene)

So when Juan Pablo Montoya stuck the front of his Dodge to the rear of leader Kyle Busch's Toyota in the closing laps Sunday, refusing to be shuffled to the rear like so many pretenders, it was yet another sign that Montoya is getting the hang of this stock-car stuff.

Montoya, of course, is considered one of the greatest race car drivers in the world, as evidenced by his illustrious career in the Champ Car Series and more moderate success as a Formula One driver.

He was expected to adapt to stock cars quickly, and he did, winning a Sprint Cup and Nationwide series race in his first year, a feat that now seems even more remarkable given the struggles of other open-wheel stars who made the move this year.

But both those victories came on road courses, where Montoya excelled as an open-wheel driver and where he was expected to adjust quickly.

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To many, his victories last year were no great surprise and offered little evidence of what he can really do in a stock car.

And to some, his 20th-place finish in points was a bit disappointing given all the hubbub that surrounded his arrival.

But along the way, Montoya offered glimpses of his enormous talent and hints that he will soon become a stock-car master.

His second-place finish at Indianapolis was a strong bit of evidence. Though he had won the Indy 500, wrestling a 3,500-pound stock car is an enormous challenge at a track built for sleek open-wheel machines.

More evidence came at tough speedways like Atlanta and Texas, where he finished in the top 10. But perhaps his greatest feat last season was finishing eighth at Martinsville and finishing on the lead lap in three of the six short-track races.

Montoya proved that he can beat and bang with the best of them and has the talent to possibly win a short-track race one day.

Then came Sunday's test at Talladega in the wildest race this season and one that tested both the nerve and the patience of NASCAR's top drivers.

Driver after driver took turns leading the freight train around the 2.66-mile behemoth of a speedway, with 20 drivers swapping the lead 52 times.

But only the very best stayed there. Most of the rest were either taken out in wrecks or got shuffled out of the draft when it came to crunch time.

Montoya showed signs last year of being able to handle the nerve-racking, white-knuckle test known as restrictor-plate racing, but he had little to show for it.

At both Daytona and Talladega, he raced among the leaders, only to get shuffled backward toward the end, winding up 19th in the Daytona 500 and 15th at Talladega in October.

This time, Montoya didn't back down, and he didn't let his inexperience in a stock car get the best of him.

After pushing Busch into the lead, he held onto second place and would have had a shot at the victory had a multicar wreck on the final lap not ended the race prematurely.

As drivers jockeyed for position and bounced around like pin balls all around him, Montoya stood his ground, hanging onto Busch's bumper and finishing off a spectacular run.

Montoya showed that he has both nerves of steel and the courage it takes to win at Talladega, not to mention the driving skill to hang onto a slipping and sliding car in a tornado of traffic.

Afterward, he revealed something you rarely hear from drivers who have just survived Talladega.

"I've loved restrictor-plate racing since the first time I came to Talladega, I loved it," he said. "The bumping, it's tough; you can finish 20th in a heartbeat or 30th. (But) it's pretty exciting."

Montoya has been solid but unspectacular this season, with Sunday's runner-up finish his first top-10. It vaulted him to 12th in points, however, putting him in prime position to make a run at the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

A crew chief change — Jimmy Elledge took over Montoya's Chip Ganassi Racing team at Talladega — could provide a spark and boost Montoya's confidence.

If it does, his first oval-track win could be right around the corner.

As Montoya showed at Talladega, he is getting the hang of the nuances of stock-car racing. With a bit more seasoning, he is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

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Jeff Owens is a writer for NASCAR Scene, which is published weekly, 50 weeks per year. Visit www.scenedaily.com for more information.