RICHMOND, Va. -- Juan Montoya knows anything can happen.

"I think we've done a good enough job all year that if we have a nice, quiet evening, everything should go well," he said at Richmond International Raceway, where Saturday night the Earnhardt Ganassi driver will try to qualify for NASCAR's postseason for the first time in his stock-car career. "But you still have the chance that things could go terribly wrong and you could miss it."

He's eighth in the standings and 88 points clear of 13th place, but Montoya's appearance in the 12-man Chase still isn't guaranteed. He needs a finish of 18th or better Saturday night to become the first international driver to qualify for NASCAR's year-end playoff. Like he said, anything can happen. A tire can go down at the wrong time. Lug nuts can fall off a wheel. Another car can spin in front of him. Some $2 part can snap and send him careening into the wall.

Or this Colombian-born, former Formula One driver can win the Sprint Cup title.

Anything can happen, right?

Tony Stewart may be the points leader and Jimmie Johnson may be the three-time defending champion, but from a championship perspective the most dangerous driver in the garage may well be Montoya, who's gallivanting through the latter stages of this regular season like a driver without a care in the world. Sunday night's third-place finish in Atlanta, his latest strong run in a season full of them, was another indication that Montoya needs to be taken seriously from a championship perspective.

No, he's never won a NASCAR race on an oval track. Yes, he's been in stock cars for only three years. But take out the cut tires suffered in back-to-back races at Michigan and Bristol -- both occurring when he was in the top 10 -- and Montoya hasn't had a finish worse than 12th since late June.

And here's the scary part: he's not even really trying yet. (Continued)