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Ambrose Refreshed and Ready to Fly Team Australia Flag at Indy

Staff, Tuesday August 1, 2006.

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Team Australia NASCAR Truck driver Marcos Ambrose has used a break in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to rest and refresh after a run of nine-straight races that saw the Aussie Vineyards-backed driver rise in stature and achieve some remarkable results in the green and gold colours of Team Australia.

Ambrose returns to action this weekend in the #20 Aussie Vineyards/Aussie Experience F-150 in Round 15 of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at O?Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, the city regarded as the home of American motorsport.

After some sensational form on the wide-open speedways, it is now short track speed that the two-time Australian V8 Supercar Champion is chasing. A third place finish at Kansas, followed by qualifying fastest the very next week in Kentucky, has gone a long way to putting Ambrose and Team Australia on the map in NASCAR.

Those results both came on 1.5 mile ovals ? this weekend the Team Australia entry will be tackling a track less than half that size. Ambrose realises that the short track discipline is arguably the toughest to learn and tested last Tuesday at the short Carraway Speedway in North Carolina to refine the short track set-up of the Aussie Vineyards/Aussie Experience F-150.

This week?s race marks Ambrose?s 12th NASCAR start since switching racing disciplines from Australian touring cars to American stock cars. The Tasmanian born driver is certainly gaining confidence with every race, but is still keen to absorb as much information as possible.

This race will also be especially significant for Team Australia, as the Aussie Vineyards squad?s Champ Car and Atlantic team race shop is in Indianapolis. With a break in Champ Car World Series action this weekend, many of the Team Australia Champ Car and Atlantic crew will take some time out from preparations for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Denver to cheer on Ambrose and the Aussie Vineyards/Aussie Experience F-150.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY ?

Marcos Ambrose - #20 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards/Aussie Experience Ford F-150

?I went to New York during the break and had some family time with Sonya and Tabitha, generally just getting away from motorsport for a little bit,? said Ambrose.

?We tested the Team Australia F-150 last Tuesday at Carraway Speedway, a short oval in North Carolina, then had a ride day on Wednesday at Rockingham Speedway and then my team-mate Bobby East had a test on Thursday, so we have really been working on the set-up of our Wood Brothers/JTG trucks.

?I went to Gateway last weekend as a spectator to watch the Busch Series race and support the Wood Brothers/JTG Busch Series drivers. Then on Monday I was at the team?s shop as we prepare the Aussie Vineyards/Aussie Experience truck for this weekend.

?I don?t think we need to do anything different in this second part of the season. We still have a lot more to learn, but it requires the same approach. We have shown some great speed and if we can turn that into more consistent speed the results will come.

?The best way to describe our approach at the moment is ?conservative aggressive?. There have been times where I have let a couple of trucks past and sacrificed some track position just to keep out of trouble and keep the rhythm of our race going.

?I feel more confident now and I am keeping an open mind about things. As well as everything I am learning, we are a new team visiting new tracks, but the results will come because we are working so well together and we are turning into a strong combination.

?I would like to think that from here on we will be running in the top 10 and who knows, maybe we can get a win or two before the year is out.

?The short tracks are definitely turning out to be the most different thing for me in this learning experience at the moment. I really enjoy driving them, but it is hard to race on them because there is just never any spare race track to work with.

?The first goal is to get the Aussie Vineyards/Aussie Experience truck handling better for the short tracks. For the big speedways we have a very good set-up, so we went testing on a short track to get a better set-up for the short tracks that will let us run in the top 10.

?A strong set-up will help me and allow me to race because it is very hard to run in the pack when you are gradually sliding backwards. These short tracks are hard, but we have unlocked the tricks to the other types of speedways, so we will get there eventually.?

MARCOS AMBROSE FAST FACTS
? Ambrose has earned $123,048 in 11 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 his best result when he finished third at Kansas Speedway on July 1 in only his ninth NASCAR event
? Ambrose is one of only two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Roshfrans Rookie of the Year contenders to score a top three finish this season
? 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 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event since Canadian Ron Fellows won on the Watkins Glen road course on 26 June 1999
? Ambrose won his first Budweiser Pole in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway on July 8
? This is the first time a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate has won the pole since November 2004 when David Reutimann captured the No. 1 starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
? Ambrose is the non-Amercian driver to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole since 26 June 1999 when Ron Fellows of Canada qualified first at Watkins Glen International.
? This was the first pole for the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team and the first pole for crew chief Gary Cogswell.
? Ambrose has now qualified in the top 10 for five of his 11 NASCAR starts to date
? History was made on lap 13 in Kentucky when Ambrose and Mexico?s Michel Jourdain Jr. became the first non-Americans to run one-two in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race

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 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Points ? After Round 14
? Marcos Ambrose did not compete in the first three rounds of the championship.

1: Todd Bodine 2161, 2: David Reutimann 2044, 3: Johnny Benson 1998, 4: Rick Crawford 1930, 5: Ted Musgrave 1913, 6: Ron Hornaday Jr 1905, 7: Jack Sprague 1898, 8: David Starr 1872, 9: Terry Cook 1864, 10: Dennis Setzer 1835,30: Marcos Ambrose 982.

2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Points ? After Round 14
? Marcos Ambrose did not compete in the first three rounds of the championship.

1: Erik Darnell 135, 2: Aric Almirola 106, 3: Chad McCumbee 106, 4: Joey Miller 87, 5: Boston Reid 80, 6: Erin Crocker 73, 7: Bobby East 73, 8: Kyle Krisiloff 70, 9: Marcos Ambrose 66, 10: Kerry Earnhardt 60.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Practice 1
Fri., August 4, 2006
10:00am ? 11:00am CT
Rookie Practice
Fri., August 4, 2006
11:30am - 12:00pm CT
Final Practice
Fri., August 4, 2006
12:00pm ? 1:00pm CT
Qualifying
Fri., August 4, 2006
5:30pm CT
Race ? 200 laps
Sat., July 15, 2006
7:45pm CT

AUSTRALIAN TIMES
Practice 1
Sat., August 5, 2006
1:00am - 2:00am CT
Rookie Practice
Sat., August 5, 2006
2:30am - 3:00am CT
Final Practice
Sat., August 5, 2006
3:00am - 4:00am CT
Qualifying
Sat., August 5, 2006
8:30am CT
Race ? 200 laps
Sat., August 5, 2006
10:45am CT

ABOUT O?REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Race Distance: 200 laps = 137= E2 miles (220.8km)
Track Length: 0.686 miles
Degree of Banking in Turns: 7.5 degrees
Degree of Banking on Straights: 2 degrees

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK RECORD BOOK
Race Record: Greg Biffle, 1999 (88.704mph/1hr, 33min, 16secs)
Qualifying Record: Joe Ruttman, 2000 (111.843mph/22.081secs)
Defending Champion: Dennis Setzer
Defending Polesitter: Dennis Setzer

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