MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Can you imagine Tom Brady and Peyton Manning exchanging tips on throwing the football right before a big game? Or Derek Jeter sharing batting tips with an opposing player on the eve of the World Series?

Sounds pretty crazy, huh?

“

It's crazy because in Formula One, if you see somebody doing something wrong, you probably actually enjoy it and don't help them. I'm serious. You would get a kick out of it.

”

-- JUAN MONTOYA

Well, it did to Juan Montoya, too, when he first started driving in the Cup Series three years ago. Montoya was used to the cut-throat spirit of Formula One racing when he went to his first NASCAR test, where he was stunned by what he experienced.

"Yeah, I was surprised," Montoya said. "The first person who did it was Kevin Harvick. We were testing in Miami for that first Cup race [at the end of the 2006 season] and there was an open test there and he came down and said, 'You've got to try to do this.'

"I didn't even go to him. He came to me and said, 'You've got to go a little deeper [into the corner] and do a little of this and a little of that.' I was like, 'Are you kidding me? You actually came here to help me?'

"It's crazy because in Formula One, if you see somebody doing something wrong, you probably actually enjoy it and don't help them. I'm serious. You would get a kick out of it. So it's great to see that people are that open about it. When you're on the race track, it's time for business and you're all on your own. But that [openness] is cool to see."

One of Montoya's favorite brains to pick is that of Mark Martin, who always seems agreeable to the skull sessions -- even now, as the two battle each other in the Chase. Heading into Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500, Martin was second in the points standings and Montoya sixth.

But Montoya made it clear that he won't stop at Martin when it comes to asking questions that he figures might help him. (Continued)