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Front Page » Racing
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Significant Kentucky Return for Ambrose
Staff, Wednesday June 13, 2007.
Page 1 of 1
Marcos Ambrose returns to one of the most significant venues in his motorsport career when he races in the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky this weekend.
Kentucky was the site of Ambrose?s first test with the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team back in September 2005, the start of a relationship that has blossomed over the past two years.
Ambrose won his first NASCAR pole position at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway on July 8 last year in only his tenth race in NASCAR in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
This weekend Ambrose makes his first NASCAR Busch Series start at Kentucky in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion, sitting just five points outside of the top 10 in the NASCAR Busch Series standings and second in Raybestos Rookie of the Year points behind David Ragan.
After only 37 NASCAR starts Ambrose has come a long way since that initial test at Kentucky Speedway. As well as challenging for this year’s rookie title, Ambrose is the third highest driver in this year?s NASCAR Busch Series standings to not race full-time in the top-flight NASCAR Nextel Cup and the best placed driver in the Busch Series points to have never made a Cup start.
Ambrose has enjoyed success on 1.5-mile, “intermediate-style” speedways so far in his short NASCAR career with third place finishes at Kansas and Nashville in last year’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as a top ten finish in the NASCAR Busch Series this year at Las Vegas.
Kentucky Speedway is also renowned for its upset victories and producing first time winners. Last year’s NASCAR Busch Series race produced one of the biggest upsets in series history when David Gilliland won his first NASCAR event, leading to him sign with Nextel Cup team Robert Yates Racing soon after. Bobby Hamilton Jr also captured his first win at the venue, that race time still standing as the race record for Kentucky.
Ambrose will be striving to join that list of first time winners at Kentucky this weekend, but while a win is the ultimate goal, a solid finish and vaulting back into the NASCAR Busch Series top 10 remains a priority.
“The pole at Kentucky was a real highlight last season and one of the moments that really helped build my confidence in terms of running in NASCAR,” said Ambrose.
“Kentucky is a special place for me. It’s the track I had my first test with Wood Brothers/JTG Racing and from that point on the team and I have really grown together and achieved some wonderful things.”
“Kentucky is one of the faster 1.5-mile ovals in the series and it’s these style of tracks where we have ran well in both the truck last year and the Busch car this season.”
“The team and I are really working well together and we can carry that little bit of extra confidence heading into a place like Kentucky where we have run well in the past.”
“It always gives you a better comfort zone when you go to a track where you’ve had success. You have a good understanding what the car needs and you have a good understanding what the track has to offer.”
“We’ve had good race cars every week lately. That only adds to our confidence as a race team. We’re still young as a group and we’re still learning, but we?re starting to get a lot of things figured out.”
Greg Conner – Crew Chief, #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion
“Marcos really likes the faster intermediate tracks and I know he can draw on his experiences from last year,” said Conner.
“He goes into every race like a sponge, soaking up as much information as he can. That really accelerates his learning curve.”
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Points Standings – After Race 15
1. Carl Edwards 2460
2. Kevin Harvick 1798
3. Dave Blaney 1715
4. David Reutimann 1649
5. Regan Smith 1633
6. Matt Kenseth 1591
7. Bobby Hamilton Jr 1574
8. David Ragan 1571
9. Clint Bowyer 1529
10. Greg Biffle 1513
11. Marcos Ambrose 1508
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings – After Race 15
1. David Ragan 154
2. Marcos Ambrose 147
3. Juan Pablo Montoya 137
4. Kyle Krisiloff 129
5. Brad Keselowski 87
6. Brad Coleman 50
7. Justin Diercks 44
8. Robert Richardson Jr 38
9. Sam Hornish Jr 35
10. Bobby Santos 13
MARCOS AMBROSE FAST FACTS
Marcos Ambrose and the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion team at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing have earned US$415,256 (A$493,353) in prizemoney in 15 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 two NASCAR Nextel Cup races in the #47 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing
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
RACE SCHEDULE
Local Kentucky (US Eastern) Times
Practice 1
Friday 15 June 2007
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Rookie Practice
Friday 15 June 2007
6:15pm – 6:45pm
Final Practice
Friday 15 June 2007
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Qualifying
Saturday 16 June 2007
5:10pm
Race – 200 laps
Saturday 16 June 2007
8:30pm
UNITED STATES TV SCHEDULE
Saturday 16 June 2007
ESPN2
8:00pm
AUSTRALIAN TIMES
Australian Eastern Standard Times
Practice 1
Saturday 16 June 2007
7:00am – 8:00am
Rookie Practice
Saturday 16 June 2007
8:15am – 8:45am
Final Practice
Saturday 16 June 2007
9:00am – 10:00am
Qualifying
Sunday 16 June 2007
7:10am
Race – 200 laps
Sunday 16 June 2007
10:30am
AUSTRALIAN TV SCHEDULE
Sunday 16 June 2007
FOX Sports Two
10:00am – 1:00pm
AUSTRALIAN TV REPLAY
Monday 17 June 2007
FOX Sports One
3:00am – 5:00am
ABOUT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
Location: Sparta, Kentucky
Track Length: 1.5 miles (2.41 km)
Race Distance: 200 laps ? 300 miles (321.87km)
Total Race Purse: US$1,441,056 (A$1,708,019)
Degree of Banking in Turns: 14 degrees
Degree of Banking in Front Straight: 8 degrees
Degree of Banking in Back Straight: 4 degrees
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RECORD BOOK
Busch Series Race Record: Bobby Hamilton Jr (2hr, 12min, 14sec) 14 June 2003
Busch Qualifying Record: Carl Edwards (29.787 seconds/181.287mph) 18 June 2005
Defending Busch Race Winner: David Gilliland
Defending Busch Polesitter: Denny Hamlin
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