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Ambrose Aims For Consistency in Kentucky

Staff, Tuesday July 4, 2006.

Page 1 of 1

Fresh from capturing the attention of the NASCAR community last weekend with a third place finish in Kansas, Team Australia NASCAR Truck driver Marcos Ambrose has stated that it is consistency that is his next goal.

The two-time Australian V8 Supercar Champion will face a track similar to Kansas this weekend for his 10th NASCAR start at the Kentucky Speedway in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval, as is Kansas Speedway, the track where Ambrose achieved his best finish and the highest finish by a rookie this season with third on July 1. It was also a 1.5 mile oval that saw Ambrose qualify the Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards F-150 truck in third position on May 19.

But rather than get carried away, Ambrose and the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing crew are aiming for consistent finishes inside the top 10 for the next few races as the stated goal for the #20 Aussie Vineyards truck. While Ambrose?s speed is now obvious, the Team Australia driver realises that he still has more to learn.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY ?

MARCOS AMBROSE - #20 TEAM AUSTRALIA/AUSSIE VINEYARDS F-150
?I feel more comfortable with the trucks, I feel more comfortable with the people that I?m driving with,? said Ambrose.
?We?re not going to be in the top three every week. We?re aiming for a top 10 if we can, and anything above that is a bonus this year."
"I started my first one-and-a-half mile oval at Charlotte and crashed on the fourth lap after qualifying third. We had to wind it back a little bit and regroup and just understand how to race these things. It?s very hard to adapt. I?ve never driven on ovals. I?ve never driven stock cars. I?ve come from a road-race background, so it?s been a very difficult transition and wasn?t one we expected to be easy.
?We?re still in the learning process of all that. The move from Australia, I was kind of a big fish in a pretty small pond and now I?m small fish in a huge ocean over here. I?ve really got to find my mark. I?m a pioneer, I guess, on any international level to come across here and try to make NASCAR stick."

GARY COGSWELL ? CREW CHIEF #20 TEAM AUSTRALIA/AUSSIE VINEYARDS F-150
"To say we?re ahead of schedule is an understatement,? said Cogswell. ?It?s amazing just how fast Marcos has caught on to what these trucks need to be fast. He?s always done a great job giving us information so we can make the truck better, and he?s been doing that while he?s trying to get used to all these new tracks.?

MARCOS AMBROSE FAST FACTS
? Ambrose will be making his 10th career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ? Ambrose has earned $98,375 in nine starts this year ? Born in Launceston, Tasmania ? Ambrose won two consecutive V8 Supercar Series Championships in Australia in 2003 and 2004 for Ford ? Will drive the No. 20 Ford F-150 for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing in 2006 ? Achieved the best finish for a rookie this year when he finished third at Kansas Speedway on July 1 in only his ninth NASCAR event ? Became the first Australian to lead laps in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ? Is the first non-American driver to finish in the top five of a truck series event since Canadian Ron Fellows won on the Watkins Glen road course on June 26, 1999

TIPS FOR AUSTRALIAN FANS
There are several websites relating to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where you can follow Ambrose?s progress.

The best three we have discovered so far are the official NASCAR.com site, truckseries.com and woodbrothersracing.com

You can register for Track Pass on the NASCAR site which will give you access to radio broadcasts, in-car audio and video of most races for a fee, but you will need a US credit card (so ring a mate!)

You can get a free lap-by-lap written commentary of the races on truckseries.com by going to the trackside area of the site. There are also pre and post race audio interviews.

2006 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS ? After Round 12
? Marcos Ambrose did not compete in the first three rounds of the championship.

1: Todd Bodine 1909; 2: David Reutimann 1771; 3: Johnny Benson 1766; 4: Ted Musgrave 1657; 5: Rick Crawford 1636; 6: Terry Cook 1602; 7: David Starr 1600; 8: Dennis Setzer 1593; 9: Jack Sprague 1581; 10: Ron Hornaday 1560; 30: Marcos Ambrose 805.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Practice 1
Fri., July 7, 2006
3:15pm - 4:20pm ET
Rookie Practice
Fri., July 7, 2006
4:25pm - 4:50pm ET
Final Practice
Fri., July 7, 2006
7:00pm - 8:00pm ET
Qualifying
Sat., July 8, 2006
4:30pm ET
Race ? 150 laps
Sat., July 8, 2006
8:15pm ET

AUSTRALIAN TIMES
Practice 1
Sat., July 8, 2006
5:15am - 6:20am EST
Rookie Practice
Sat., July 8, 2006
6:25am - 6:50am EST
Final Practice
Sat., July 8, 2006
9:00am - 10:00am EST
Qualifying
Sun., July 9, 2006
6:30am EST
Race ? 150 laps
Sun., July 9, 2006
10:15am EST

ABOUT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
Location: Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
Race Distance: 150 laps = 225 miles ! (362.10km)
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Degree of Banking in Turns: 14 degrees
Degree of Banking on Straights: 8 degrees front, 4 degree back

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK RECORD BOOK
Race Record: Mike Bliss, 2002 (143.515mph/1hr, 34min, 4secs)
Qualifying Record: Bill Lester, 2005 (178.141mph/30.313secs)
Defending Champion: Dennis Setzer
Defending Polesitter: Bill Lester

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