// MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

(ORLANDO, Fla.) – NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya made a smashing debut in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling on Monday night at “The Impact Zone” at Universal Studios Orlando. He smacked Lance Hoyt over the head with a steel chair, helping TNA superstar Homicide of the Latin American Xchange gain the victory in the inaugural “Rage In The Ring” match on “TNA iMPACT!” airing this Thursday, February 14, on Spike TV (9 p.m. ET/PT).

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 3-person match. Jimmy Rave of the Rock N’ Rave Infection, Hoyt’s tag team partner, rejected any NASCAR support.

Former NASCAR 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 wrestlers 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.”

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.

TNA Wrestling delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, athletic entertainment. TNA’s roster includes the biggest names in wrestling today, such as Kurt Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash and Christian Cage, as well as the hottest new stars in the business: A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, The Latin American Xchange and the Motor City Machineguns.

TNA features the innovative six-sided ring and the high flying X-Division, as well as concept matches such as “Ultimate X,” “King of the Mountain,” “Six Sides of Steel,” “Lethal Lockdown” and “Elevation X,” considered the most dangerous match in professional wrestling.

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.

TNA programming is available in over 100 countries. “TNA iMPACT” airs every Thursday night on Spike TV (9:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT). Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks.

This information is courtesy of www.gerweck.net.