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Ambrose Makes Superspeedway Return at Daytona
Staff, Thursday July 5, 2007.
Page 1 of 1
Marcos Ambrose returns to the sight of his spectacular NASCAR Busch Series debut when he races the Winn Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida this weekend.
Ambrose finished 16th in his first event in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion in February, a race that was also the Australian?s first at the 2.5-mile Daytona superspeedway.
Since then Ambrose has had one more superspeedway ‘restrictor plate’ event, performing superbly at Talladega Superspeedway in April to run in the top five before becoming an innocent victim in a multi-car accident with 11 laps remaining.
This weekend will see another first for Ambrose, his first night race on a superspeedway. It is the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega where restrictor plates are run between the carburettor and inlet manifold on the car’s engines to decrease horsepower and keep speeds at a more reasonable level, generally around 190mph (306km/h).
This weekend is the fourth race on a genuine superspeedway for 30-year-old Ambrose, with two previoius starts at Talladega Superspeedway (one in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and one in NASCAR Busch Series) and one solitary event at Daytona International Speedway in the this year’s NASCAR Busch Series season opener.
Ambrose will be keen to get a good result on the board as he continues to run in the top 10 in the series standings as well as chase fellow Ford driver David Ragan in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.
Marcos Ambrose – #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion
“I’m looking forward to getting back to superspeedway racing,” said Ambrose.
“My first race of the year and my first race in the Kingsford car was at Daytona this year and we came away with 16th place and top rookie. So I’ve definitely got positive thoughts going back to Daytona this weekend.”
“Last time out on a superspeedway we were looking good for a top five at Talladega but we were taken out in a wreck towards the end. I’d like to think we can repeat that form this weekend at Daytona and get a good result.”
“Restrictor plate racing is so different and you really need to plan your race so that you are in with a shot in the front pack at the end.”
“This will also be my first night race on a superspeedway, so that will add another dimension to things. Daytona is a little different to Talladega in that it’s not as wide and smooth and a night race around there should be fun and will definitely get everyone’s attention.”
Q&A with Marcos Ambrose ahead of this weekend’s Camping World 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway, courtesy of Ford Racing USA.
Q: HOW DO YOU LIKE RESTRICTOR-PLATE RACING?
MA: “It’s so different to what racing is normally about that it takes a little bit of adjusting. You put your foot to the floor for 300 miles is all you’re doing and it’s just how aggressive you are in the pack and how the draft works.”
“You’re actually at the mercy of some of the other people as much as yourself, so you’ve got to trust who you’re around. That’s a very different outlook on racing than normal. Normally, you’ve got control in your own hands, but at Daytona you don’t.
“I still really enjoy it, but I worry that I won’t finish the race because you can get taken out in someone else’s crash so easily there. That’s what happened to us at the Talladega race. We were running great inside the top 10 with about five laps to go and, all of a sudden, everything let loose and we were in the fence.”
“There’s so much to the speedway stuff that is hard to see from the naked eye, but when you’re in the car you’ve got to really learn it first-hand. I think I’m getting better and better on those superspeedways. I feel like I’m on the road of being okay on them, but now I have to get results.”
Q: WHEN YOU HAVE A YELLOW STRIPE ON YOUR BUMPER AT DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA IT CAN BE EVEN HARDER. DO YOU FEEL YOU’LL HAVE SOME FRIENDS THERE?
MA: “They don’t like to run with rookies for good reason, normally rookies cause trouble. I like to think that I’ve worked with some good guys all year and we’ve had no trouble racing on normal speedways.
“If you put yourself in a position where they have to help you on a superspeedway because you’re boxed in with the best of them, they’re gonna push you along. I’d like to think they’ll work with me any better than have done in the past there, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Q: IS IT FRUSTRATING FOR A DRIVER TO HAVE YOUR FOOT ON THE FLOOR AND NOT BE ABLE TO GO ANY FASTER?
MA: “No, not really. You get good drafts and you choose when you should take them and when you shouldn’t take them. It’s really all just a matter of survival for the last 10 laps. That’s what it is – it’s all about survival.”
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Points Standings – After Race 18
1. Carl Edwards 2861
2. David Reutimann 2052
3. Kevin Harvick 1993
4. David Ragan 1949
5. Jason Leffler 1895
6. Dave Blaney 1891
7. Bobby Hamilton Jr 1856
8. Marcos Ambrose 1829
9. Greg Biffle 1793
10. Stephen Leicht 1784
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings – After Race 18
1. David Ragan 178
2. Marcos Ambrose 165
3. Kyle Krisiloff 145
4. Juan Pablo Montoya 144
5. Brad Coleman 88
6. Brad Keselowski 87
7. Robert Richardson Jr 57
8. Justin Diercks 51
9. Sam Hornish Jr 35
10. Bobby Santos 21
MARCOS AMBROSE FAST FACTS
- Marcos Ambrose and the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion team at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing have US$487,877 (A$573,972) in prizemoney in 18 NASCAR Busch Series races this season
Ambrose will drive the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series
Ambrose finished 16th in his NASCAR Busch Series debut at Daytona International Speedway on 17 February 2007, winning the Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award in what was his first race on the 2.5-mile Daytona superspeedway - The Australian scored his debut NASCAR Busch Series top 10 finish at his first NASCAR road course event with eighth place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City on 4 March 2007
Ambrose picked up his second Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award and second-consecutive top 10 with 10th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on 10 March 2007, also winning the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award and the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge Award for the fastest Busch Series pit crew - Ambrose achieved his best NASCAR Busch Series result to date with sixth place at Dover International Speedway on 2 June 2007, also winning him his fourth Raybestos Rookie of the Race award for the season
- The 30-year-old will also aim to qualify for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race in the #47 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing at Watkins Glen on August 12
Ambrose was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia - Finished 21st in the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, earning US$256,368 in 22 starts in the #20 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia Ford F-150 for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
- 2006 season highlighted by Budweiser Pole and WIX Lap Leader awards in Kentucky on 8 July 2006, along with third place finishes at Kansas on 1 July 2006 and Nashville 12 August 2006
- Earned nine top 10 qualifying positions and four top 10 finishes in his first season of oval racing of any description
- Ambrose won two consecutive Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series titles in 2003 and 2004 for Ford
WATCH MARCOS RACE ONLINE FOR FREE
You can now watch live TV broadcasts of the NASCAR Busch Series for the majority of races remaining in the 2007 season.
The live TV broadcast is streamed direct to your computer, with chat features also available.
Best of all, it?s FREE, so check NASCAR.com for the streaming schedule.
NASCAR.com features a host of useful content to help Marcos Ambrose fans follow NASCAR Busch Series races, whether they are watching the television coverage, listening to radio or simply following the race online.
By clicking on the Launch buttons on the Free Live Leaderboards links on the front page on NASCAR.com, you can not only watch live timing of NASCAR races, but also click on the Radio Broadcast button to listen to live radio commentary, an Indianapolis-style Scoring Pylon and a Head-To-Head Driver Comparison to help you follow Marcos and your other favourite drivers.
RACE SCHEDULE
Local Florida (US Eastern) Times
Practice 1
Thursday 5 July 2007
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Rookie Practice
Thursday 5 July 2007
3:50pm – 4:20pm
Final Practice
Thursday 5 July 2007
5:30pm – 6:25pm
Qualifying
Friday 6 July 2007
1:05pm
Race – 100 laps
Friday 6 July 2007
8:00pm
UNITED STATES TV SCHEDULE
Friday 6 July 2007
ESPN2
7:30pm US Eastern
AUSTRALIAN TIMES
Australian Eastern Standard Times
Practice 1
Friday 6 July 2007
4:30am – 5:30am
Rookie Practice
Friday 6 July 2007
5:50am – 6:20am
Final Practice
Friday 6 July 2007
7:30am – 8:25am
Qualifying
Saturday 7 July 2007
3:05am
Race – 100 laps
Saturday 7 July 2007
10:00am
AUSTRALIAN TV SCHEDULE
Saturday 7 July 2007
FOX Sports Two
9:30am – 12:30pm
AUSTRALIAN TV REPLAY
Sunday 8 July 2007
FOX Sports Three
4:00am – 6:00am
ABOUT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Track Length: 2.5 miles (4.02 km)
Race Distance: 100 laps – 250 miles (402.3km)
Total Race Purse: US$1,552,701 (A$1,808,410)
Degree of Banking in Turns: 31 degrees
Degree of Banking in Back Straight: 3 degrees
Degree of Banking in Front Straight (Tri-Oval): 18 degrees
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RECORD BOOK
Busch Series Race Record: Geoffrey Bodine (1hr, 54min, 33sec) 16 February 1985
Busch Qualifying Record: Tommy Houston (46.298 seconds/194.389mph) 10 February 1987
Defending Busch Race Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr
Defending Busch Polesitter: JJ Yeley
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