Ambrose Records 12th Top-15 of the 2009 Cup Season

DOVER, Del. (September 28, 2009) – Sunday afternoon Marcos Ambrose recorded his 12^th top-15 finish of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. Ambrose’s 14^th-place finish in race number 28 helped him hold on to the 17^th spot in the championship standings with eight races remaining.

“We were really pleased with our effort overall,” said Ambrose who finished 20^th at Dover earlier this season. “We did better this time around.”

When the green flag waved for the 400-lap event, Ambrose started 27^th as Jimmie Johnson (winner) led the way. By lap 20, Ambrose was running lap times as fast as the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, who was still in first with Ryan Newman tucked in behind him in second.

At Lap 25, NASCAR gave the teams an opportunity to service their cars under a competition yellow. Ambrose’s crew chief Frank Kerr took advantage of the situation and called him to pit road for four tires and fuel. Ambrose left pit road in 26^th place. Ryan Newman led the field back to green with Kurt Busch in second and Paul Menard in third, Kasey Kahne was fourth and Greg Biffle occupied fifth place.

On Lap 31, Ambrose was side-by-side racing two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and the No. 20 car of Joey Logano was just ahead of him up top in close quarters. Logano squeezed down to the bottom in front of Stewart just as Bobby Labonte in the No. 96 car checked up ahead of both of them. As Logano slowed, Stewart had no where to go and made contact with the No. 20 Home Depot entry driven by the 19-year-old. Logano then slid down the track and shot back up in front of the No. 43 entry of Reed Sorenson. Logano hit the retaining wall as Sorenson could not avoid hitting him on the right side. Logano began to barrel roll his car seven times forcing NASCAR to red flag the event for the six-car accident.

“I’m just glad he’s OK,” Ambrose said. “It all happened so fast. I was just outside of Stewart and Joey slid down in front of him. Then the 96 checked up and Tony got into the back of Joey. There was nothing Tony could do.”

“The 96 checked up and by the time I got to Joey, it was out of my hands,” Sorenson said. “It was a wild wreck, but Joey’s okay.”

“It just really scared the heck out of me,” Logano said. "It was the wildest ride I've ever been on."

Once the red flag was lifted, it was back to green flag racing. Ambrose was 24^th and Newman was still the leader. With a loose-handling car, Ambrose gained three more positions before the next caution at Lap 84.

“We were loose in and tight in the middle,” Ambrose said.

The JTG-Daugherty Racing team changed four tires and made an air pressure adjustment to improve handling. The changes seemed to work as Ambrose was able to run in the top 20. On Lap 117, he passed Denny Hamlin for 18^th and set his sights on the top 15. Three laps later, Kerr keyed up the microphone and told Ambrose that he was running lap times as fast as the leader when he was in clean air.

“He had the same lap times as the leader (Kurt Busch) when he was by himself out there,” Kerr said.

On Lap 129, Kerr was back on the radio telling Ambrose that he had the best car on the track. As Ambrose kept logging laps, his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota was loose in and tight off. Johnson passed Busch on Lap 146 for the lead while Ambrose was fighting for a top-15 spot. On Lap 162, Ambrose moved into 15^th place when the yellow flag was displayed at Lap 163.

“The car wasn’t right and it was like something had happened to it,” Ambrose said. “It was loose in and tight in the throttle.”

Kerr elected to bring Ambrose onto pit road at Lap 165 for four tires and a half-of-round of wedge out of the left rear. He returned to racing on Lap 168 in 14^th place and in the next few laps gained a couple more spots. On Lap 213, he was knocking on the door of the top-10 runners as he was situated in 11^th. Even though he climbed his way up the ladder, he had lost rear grip and was loose in.

By the time a caution occurred at Lap 272, Ambrose was on the radio telling Kerr he had no right- rear grip at all. The JTG-Daugherty Racing team decided to change four tires and go down a half-of-a-turn on the track bar. When the NASCAR official threw the green flag in the air, Ambrose took off in 14^th place.

Not long after, Ambrose told Kerr he needed to go back on the changes and take some of the wedge out. Fortunately, the next caution at lap 324, they were able to make the desired changes as they bolted on four tires. Ambrose was still running in the top-15 when they were back to racing, but he was still loose in. The team pitted at Lap 343 to once again work on the car under caution.

“They changed tires and they took a half-round out of the left rear,” Ambrose said. “

On their final stop of the race at Lap 370, they put on four fresh tires and went up a quarter-round on the track bar. After restarting 18th at Lap 373, Ambrose was able to gain four additional spots in the closing laps to capture another top-15 finish.

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series enters Kansas Speedway. Live coverage of the Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods will air live beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Sirius XM Satellite and MRN Radio will also carry the event.

Ambrose and other NASCAR Celebrities To Be “Locked Up” For Second Official Jail And Bail

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2009) – The Second Official Jail & Bail charity event supported by Best Buy and Insignia to benefit the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund at The NASCAR Foundation, is set for Oct. 14 at Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson, N.C.

NASCAR celebrities Marcos Ambrose, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Stremme, Wendy Venturini, John Darby, Casey Mears, Scott Speed, Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Reed Sorenson, and many more will all have their day in court when they get “locked up” and have to raise their bail in an effort to raise funds for the scholarship fund.

Davis, a Universal Technical Institute (UTI) graduate and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series official, died tragically last year at age 28, and is honored by this scholarship created to encourage women to seek a career in the automotive industry. The Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund is intended to provide an opportunity for a qualified female student who wishes to attend one of 12 Universal Technical Institute campuses across the U.S. including UTI’s NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C.

The event will feature the Jail and Bail portion with NASCAR celebrities, food, beverage, and performances by local artists From A Seed and country music star, Curb Records artist Rodney Atkins.

Last year, the NASCAR industry and its fans helped raise nearly $100,000 during the event to support the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund.

Tickets for the event are on sale now for $10 and at the gate the night of the event. To register for tickets or to learn more visit WWW.NASCAR.COM/foundation.

An online charity auction featuring the jail shirts worn and signed by each participating driver along with autographed NASCAR memorabilia will go live Oct. 15 at 12 p.m. ET and run through Oct. 22. For more information visit WWW.NASCAR.COM/foundation

AMBROSE FORESEES OPPORTUNITY FOR HIS LITTLE DEBBIE® JTG-DAUGHERTY RACING TOYOTA TEAM AT DOVER

DOVER, Del. (September 22, 2009) – On Monday, Marcos Ambrose and his wife Sonja hosted a Thomas the Tank Engine and Dora the Explorer birthday party for his daughter Adelaide before boarding a plane to Daytona Beach, Florida for a two-day Goodyear tire test. Once the test wraps, he travels north to race his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

“We had a two year old birthday party,” Ambrose said yesterday. “So, it was a big day for us. It was a Thomas the Tank Engine and Dora the Explorer party for my littlest one, Adelaide. Once we were finished, I boarded a plane for a Goodyear tire test in Daytona.

“It’s a very simple tire test for Goodyear,” Ambrose continued. “When they decided to test, I raised my hand and I feel lucky to be given the opportunity. We’ll try to shake the tires down and give them the best chance to have a good tire for the Daytona 500 in 2010.”

After a long work week, Ambrose settles into Dover where he started and finished 20^th at the one-mile concrete oval in May. The 33-year-old admits the Monster Mile was challenging for him and was glad to return three months later to log some laps for another Goodyear tire test.

“We really struggled in the first race there,” Ambrose said. “We just couldn’t get a handle on the car. We went back there for a test and just tried to get some laps. We worked on our setup and we felt really good about the changes we made. We felt good about how the car worked, but you just don’t know. These cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are so fine tuned that you know the wrong setup can ruin your day. We’re not overly confident, but at the same time we feel that we learned some good information.”

Dover is its own animal. However, Ambrose compares it to Bristol Motor Speedway where he finished tenth and third respectively this season.

“Maybe Bristol,” Ambrose said. “Dover has a similar feel to Bristol, but much faster. Obviously it’s faster. One of those places that can break you in a hurry and it’s a real challenge to get around. It’s also a real thrill and I really enjoy it.

“Dover is a wonderful track and one of the best we go to on the circuit,” Ambrose continued. “There’s a lot of character to it. It’s very demanding on the drivers. It’s unique. Some days I run really well. Some days I can’t get it to go my way. It’s a very challenging track to prepare for and feel confident on.”

Bristol and Dover may have similarities, but Ambrose admits the setups are entirely different for his Little Debbie® Toyota.

“The setups are so far different that what we ran at Bristol would not work at Dover,” Ambrose said. “So you have to start again on your car setup and that’s pretty much what all of the drivers are doing. We’re all working on our car setups, trying to make it the perfect way for us to get around the track. When you have a good day, or a bad day, 90% of it is about how the car is handling not necessarily how the driver is driving. The load is different. The speed is different. Everything changes. We are confident though that we have a pretty good setup there, but we won’t know until we get there.”

However, Ambrose also feels confident more doors have opened to excel at Dover now that the Chase for the Sprint Cup is in progress.

“I think it gives us more of an opportunity to win a race because there’s going to be a lot of guys out there that are worried about the points,” Ambrose said. “The Chase can be lost in the first few, but it can never be won then, so they’re going to drive a little more conservative to get their Chase up and running. It’s going to give drivers that are trying to break out a chance to get their first victory.”

Live coverage of the AAA 400 on Sunday, September 27^th begins at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will also broadcast the event.

Transcript: Macrcos Ambrose "AAA 400" preview Media conference call

Q. Marcos, you’ve been to Dover before. Tell us about your first experience here and what it’s like racing at the Monster Mile.

Marcos Ambrose, No. 47 Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota Camry: “Dover is a wonderful track. One of the best we go to. There’s a lot of character to it. It’s very fast and very demanding on the drivers. It’s unique. It’s a wonderful event for us. I look forward to going there. Some days I run really well. Some days I can’t get it to go my way. It’s a very challenging track to prepare for and feel confident on.”

Q. Would you compare this place (Dover) to any place that you’ve raced? Is it like anything else?

Ambrose: “Maybe Bristol. It has a similar feel to Bristol. But much faster. Obviously it’s faster. One of those places that can break you in a hurry and it’s a real challenge to get around. It’s also a real thrill and I really enjoy it.”

Q. The Dover race that is coming up here in a week or so is the second race in the “Chase.” You’re not in the top-12 but what does that mean? Do you need to be mindful of those 12? Do you race any different against them?

Ambrose: “I think it gives us an opportunity to win races and try to win a race. There’s going to be a lot of guys out there that are worried about the points. The Chase can be lost in the first few but it can never be won then, so they’re going to drive a little more conservative to get their Chase up and running. It’s going to give drivers a chance who are trying to break out and get their first victory.”

Q. You were here not too long ago for a Goodyear tire test too. How was that? What did you learn? Anything that you use in your setup for the upcoming race?

Ambrose: “We really struggled in the first race there. We just couldn’t get a handle on the car. We went back there and just tried to get some laps on there for me. We worked on our setup and we felt really good about the changes we made. Felt good about how the car worked but you just don’t know. These COT cars in the Sprint Cup Series are so fine tuned that you know the wrong setup can ruin your day. We’re not overly confident, but at the same time we feel that we learned some good information for the upcoming event.”

Q. It always looks like when we see you on TV that you always look like you’re having fun. They could probably interview you even if you finished dead last. You always have a smile on your face. It looks like you’re having fun. What’s been the biggest thing you’re adjusted to throughout the course of the year because it seems more and more each week when we see you on TV that you’re running up in the top-five and top-10 most of the time. What’s been the biggest adjustment you’ve made or the team has made this year to keep you up there?

Ambrose: “I sure don’t feel like I run top-five every time. It’s a real challenge to keep these cars running at the very front up against the best drivers. I think consistency has been the biggest things and managing expectations. One week can be red hot and challenging for wins, and the next week you can be at the back of the field. It’s a very close competition and you have to make sure that you don’t get too high when things are going good and too low when you have a tough day.”

Q. This time at Dover will be the first time that you’ll have double-file restarts at Dover. So if you’re leading a race and the caution comes out and there’s a double-file restart, where would you rather be? Outside or inside lane?

Ambrose: “That’s a great question. I guess you carry a lot more momentum on the top. The bottom is a little harder and you can get a bit choked up. So if you’re in the second half of the field, for me it always works better on the top. You get a little bit more room to move, because in the front half of the field it can be different. You want to be on the bottom and get that track position and get going. I think Dover itself really runs on the bottom. So you want to be there. If you’re in the front row you’re going to want to be on the bottom. If you’re in the back of the field, even halfway back, I think you want the top.”

Q. I want to ask you about the NASCAR rules against testing. You were able to go back to Dover for the tire test, but how much has the ban on testing this season hindered your development?

Ambrose: “Great question. I think it’s hurt, and I felt that it’s helped. I believe that I can get up to speed pretty quickly on the tracks that we go to, so it allows everybody to not get too far in front of us. So it’s been a good equalizer in that respect. Especially when they start changing tires on the different tracks that we go back to. It helps keep it at a pretty equal level as far as budgets. You can’t out test somebody out of the competition, it just doesn’t happen anymore. So it’s a good leveler. The fact that I’m in my first year in the series some tracks that I’ve struggled on I would have loved to go to similar venues and get it dialed in and feel comfortable on them It’s a double-edged sword for me. I don’t think it’s necessarily hurt me because it has helped me in some other areas.”

Q. Would you like to see that rule altered a little bit in the future? Maybe have a handful of tracks that you can go to? Maybe give a team six tests that they can pick and choose where they want to go back to?

Ambrose: “Well as a driver I’m going to be selfish and say yes, I want to test every day if I could. But the question you have to ask yourself is has the racing been better or worse? I think the racing has seemed very, very good. So that’s a question for the teams. Has it become a better series because many teams can afford to run at the top level? I think it’s been a great addition. There was a lot of concern at the start of the season that the racing is going to be ruined because the teams won’t be ready to go out there are test, but it’s actually been quite the opposite. I think it’s been a great addition for our sport and I’m not sure that with the cars so finely tuned and so boxed in by NASCAR rules that you need to have all the testing that you did anyway.”

Q. You said how Dover was similar to Bristol and obviously you had a great run there a couple of weeks ago. Do you expect that to carry over?

Ambrose: “Well, not really because the setups are so far different at each track that what we ran at Bristol there’s no way that it’d work at Dover. So you have to start again on your car setup and that’s pretty much what all of the drivers are doing. We’re all working on our car setups, trying to make it the perfect way for us to get around the track. When you have a good day, or a bad day, 90% of it is about how the car is handling not necessarily how the driver is driving. The load is different. The speed is different. Everything changes. We are confident though that we have a pretty good setup there but we won’t know until we get there.”

Q. I remember back in the ’80’s NASCAR went to Australia and had some exhibition races. Does anybody remember those down in Australia?

Ambrose: “Sure do. The track’s still there. It’s not being raced on anymore. It has a lot of weeds coming up through it. Bob Jane was the original entrepreneur who built the track had a successful series there for about six years. But as there was only one big track down there and I think that the teams got a little frustrated. Things changed and things didn’t really take off after that first few years of enthusiasm. Unfortunately stock car racing isn’t around, but we have a great dirt track with sprint cars and modifieds and late models. They also have a healthy road racing circuit as well.”

Q. Back in the spring at Dover you started 20th, finished 20th. Is there a big difference between how you setup for qualifying and setup for racing?

Ambrose: “There really is. In qualifying you just setup for that one lap. You just got to get it done and close your eyes and have a sprint and really hope it sticks. In the race, you have to get the car to roll through the middle well and carry that momentum on the long runs. We had a good setup for qualifying but then come the race it was a real challenge. For me, Dover is all about being comfortable behind the wheel. If you’re in the car and twitching and nervous and moving around, there’s no way you can run that speed for 400 miles. You have to back it up, but then of course you get lapped, then things change. But for me it’s all about being comfortable so I want to make sure this time back there at Dover that I get the car as comfortable as I can. Fast. Because the longer runs are what’s going to be better for me than having a car that is a little faster on a short drive, yet very, very difficult to drive, then lose confidence and it’s hard to drive when the tires get old.”

Q. Even though you finished 20th at Dover you finished on the lead lap. Was that big for you or did that not matter so much?

Ambrose: “To be honest with you, that’s a surprising statement because I thought I was dead last. It felt terrible around there so I’m not sure. Every week is a challenge and I’ve run very well there before at Dover in a Cup car for the Wood Brothers last year so I know I can do it there. I just have to put my head down and focus on making good adjustments and make good laps during practice and hopefully be ready.”

AMBROSE POSTS RESPECTABLE TOP-20 FINISH AT LOUDON IN BUSH’S BAKED BEANS TOYOTA

LOUDON, N.H. (September 21, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose led a couple laps (269-270), ran in the top-15 and finished 20th in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 47 Bush’s Best Baked Beans Toyota Camry fielded by JTG-Daugherty Racing Sunday afternoon. Earlier in the day, he spent time with Jay Bush and Duke the talking dog from the Bush’s Best Baked Beans television commercials. The trio along with team co-owner Brad Daugherty filmed a BBQ segment, which will air on ABC television during an upcoming race broadcast. Rumors of Duke trying to sell the secret family recipe cannot be confirmed.

“We had a good run and our result does not show how good we were there at the end,” Ambrose said. “With 20 laps or so to go, AJ (Allmendinger) and I got into it, which ended up causing a caution there at the end of the race. If we hadn’t had that caution I believe we would have ended up in the top-15.”

Ambrose was glad to see Mark Martin record his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series-best fifth victory of the season in the Chase opener to extend his points lead over Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kurt Busch and the remaining top-12. Pablo was the biggest mover in the championship chase jumping seven spots. Falling in behind victor Martin in the Sylvania 300 finishing order was Denny Hamlin, Montoya, Johnson and Kyle Busch.

“It was good to see Mark win,” Ambrose said. “He’s really going to be tough to beat. He’s on his game. You can’t win the championship in the first race of The Chase, but you can lose it. Some of those guys had problems. Man, I feel bad for Kasey Kahne. Tony (Stewart) had some problems also and you hate to see that.”

On Friday, Ambrose was disappointed with his 31st qualifying effort. However, he did not let that slow him and his JTG-Daugherty Racing team down when the race started. As the race began to unfold, he reeled in the top 20. When the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne blew up on Lap 66, Ambrose came down pit road for four tires, a wedge adjustment and a packer out of the left front to help his looseness on entry and tightness in the middle of the corner.

The No. 47 Bush’s Best Baked Beans Toyota restarted 25th on Lap 74. Under caution at Lap 86, Ambrose communicated to crew chief Frank Kerr that his car was loose in and did not have a lot of forward drive off. Kerr told Ambrose to stay out for track position. Ambrose took the green flag on Lap 91 scored in 19th position.
As he continued his top 20 run, Ambrose was loose in, tight in the middle and loose off. The previous adjustments had helped the condition of the car, but when a caution occurred on Lap 140 Ambrose was asking for more help. He was back on pit road for tires, a quarter-round up on the track bar and a quarter-round of wedge in his Bush’s Best Baked Beans Toyota.
Back to work on Lap 146, Ambrose entered the top 15 four laps later. His car’s forward drive had improved, but he was still having trouble getting through the middle of the corner. To help his tightness, he was back on pit road under caution at Lap 162 for two tires and a quarter-round up on the track bar.

The green flag waved at Lap 165 as he was shown in 18th place with Tony Stewart showing the way with guys like Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman in tow.

Running 15th on Lap 167, there was a big accident in Turn 2 involving the No. 7, 19, 20, 34, 43, 55 and 98. Seven laps later, the track was cleared and it was back to green flag racing as Ambrose was sitting in 16th. Cautions were seemingly breeding cautions as another one occurred on the next lap involving Jeff Burton.

Ambrose restarted 15th on Lap 180 with Tony Stewart in the lead, Jimmie Johnson in second and Ryan Newman in third. On Lap 194, he came down pit road under caution for four tires and an air adjustment because he was too loose and tight in the middle.

Restarting 21st on Lap 197, Ambrose was fighting his way back inside the top-15. On lap 260, he was scored inside the top 10 while cars ahead of him had started pitting under green flag conditions.

Guys like Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Juan Pablo Montoya, and others headed to pit road, Ambrose was shown in fifth place on Lap 265 as Newman gave up the lead to Carl Edwards for service. Edwards and Kyle Bush followed suit as Stewart was the new leader at Lap 268 and Ambrose was second. On Lap 269, Ambrose led the field for two laps and relinquished the lead to Martin for two tires and one can of fuel.

On Lap 274, Kerr radioed Ambrose and told him he had turned his fastest lap of the race (29.948 seconds) while running in 17th place when the field cycled.

“You got what you got now and it’s up to you,” Kerr said to Ambrose after the stop.

With 18 laps remaining, Ambrose was 13th when David Reutimann and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were involved in an incident in Turn 4 that brought out the ninth caution of the race. Once the race started again at Lap 287, Ambrose was 13th.

On Lap 293, Ambrose made contact with the 44 car of Allmendinger bringing out the 11th caution of the 300-lap event. Kerr called Ambrose to pit road for four fresh Goodyear tires. With a handful of laps remaining, Ambrose did a good job of holding on to a top 20 spot. The Australian driver crossed the finish line 20th and maintained 17th in the championship standings.

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Dover, Delaware. Live coverage of the AAA 400 on Sunday, September 27th begins at 1 p.m. on ABC. MRN and Sirius XM will air the event too.

AMBROSE LOOKS TO SERVE UP A STRONG FINISH IN BUSH'S BEST BAKED BEANS TOYOTA AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

LOUDON, N.H. (September 16, 2009) – It does not matter if you are tailgating at a football game, grilling at home or attending the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, Bush’s Best Baked Beans is the perfect compliment for any dish. It’s also a side item Australian driver Marcos Ambrose cannot live without when he is cooking up one of his favorite dishes for a taste of home. This weekend, he will carry the Bush’s Best Baked Beans brand on the hood of his No. 47 Toyota Camry to remind fans to pick up Bush’s when menu planning for the big game, race or even a social gathering at home.

“I love sports and it’s a great time of the year to tailgate,” Ambrose said. “There are a few things Australians love and that’s sports, the beach and barbequing. My favorite team right now is the Atlanta Braves. I’m really hooked on them. Peter Moylan, Kris Medlen and Tommy Hanson came out to Atlanta Motor Speedway and hung out with us after their game. It’s really fun to grill out and watch their games. My favorite things to grill are hamburgers and sausages with a side of Bush’s Honey Baked Beans. So, when you hear the saying, ‘slip a shrimp on the barbie’, we actually say it differently in Australia. We slip prawns on the barbie.’”

After grilling for an ESPN shoot on Sunday, Ambrose races his No. 47 Bush’s Best Baked Beans Toyota Camry to top his 23rd-place finish from earlier this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“We ran in the top 15 in the first race and ended up with a top-25 finish at New Hampshire,” Ambrose said. “I really like smaller tracks like Loudon and Martinsville (Speedway) because they really reward good driving. You have to be very precise around those kinds of tracks.”

Ambrose and the JTG-Daugherty Racing team are expecting to improve upon 23rd and 22nd-place finishes they recently earned at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.

“What I really like this season is the fact we’ve dragged ourselves from the bottom half of the field to the front half of the field,” Ambrose said. “If we have a bad day, we are finishing in the low 20s and when we have a good day, we are running well inside the top 10. I’d like to think the worse case scenario is we can finish in the front half of the field. If we can get our act together and make some good choices, we know we can contend for the win.”

Over the past 26 races, Ambrose has become more comfortable in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently has four top-five and seven top-10 finishes and is 17th in the points standings. He’s in good company with drivers like Kyle Busch (13th) that has four victories, Matt Kenseth (14th) with two wins, Clint Bowyer (15th) and David Reutimann (16th) - - who won his first career Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600.

“I’m comfortable at every single track,” Ambrose said. “I think we’ve struggled a little on the 1.5-mile program as of late. It’s an area where we really need to work on and understand. I feel good in the car. Any week we can do it. It’s just a very hard sport and I’m racing against the very best in the world. It’s a very small difference in car speed that makes a huge difference in the outcome of the race. I was only looking for a tenth-of-a-second at Atlanta and I would have finished well inside the top 10. It’s an interesting game we are racing in and it’s very addictive, I must say. You get so close to a victory -- you can smell and you can feel it. Yet it feels like it’s a million miles away. It’s exciting because I feel like we are on the verge of getting our first win.”

Live coverage of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 20th on ABC begins at 1 p.m. ET. PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will also broadcast the event.

Ambrose Crosses Finish Line 22nd at Richmond

Twenty-six races are in the books for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Marcos Ambrose finished 22nd in his No. 47 Clorox® Toyota Camry at Richmond International Raceway in the most recent event Saturday night that ended the suspense for which 12 drivers will compete for the championship.

Denny Hamlin, who is one of the 12 contenders, won the event in front of a hometown crowd while Brian Vickers drove his way into the top-12 Chase for the Cup with a seventh-place finish knocking Matt Kenseth out of 12th and beating fifth-place finisher Kyle Busch for the coveted spot by eight points.

The top 12 championship contenders for the final ten events are Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Greg Biffle.

Saturday night was full of surprises starting with a little rain that slightly delayed the 400-lap event. When NASCAR waved the green flag, Ambrose started from 16th-place in the 43-car field at the .75-mile D-shaped oval. As the first caution of the night occurred with Scott Speed hitting the wall on Lap 4, Ambrose radioed crew chief Frank Kerr about his car’s handling.

“We started the race a little loose on forward drive and as we made some laps it was tight in the middle and loose off,” Ambrose said.

The Australian driver maintained a top 15 spot for nearly 40 laps. At Lap 45, points leader Tony Stewart and Reed Sorenson’s machines got together in Turn 4 to bring out the second caution of the race. Ambrose headed to pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment since he had been loose in, tight in the middle and loose off. He returned to racing in 16th-place on Lap 50.

Six laps later Ambrose was jockeying for position as the No. 78 car stalled on the backstretch. A hole opened up on the bottom by Jamie McMurray for 14th-place and Ambrose dove to the bottom for the spot. The two slightly made contact.

“He got loose and got off the bottom and I filled the hole,” Ambrose said. As Ambrose restarted 14th on Lap 63, he reported a bit of brake fade. “The brakes would shake too,” Ambrose said.

The No. 47 Clorox® Toyota was on the move and gained three positions to be scored in 11th place by Lap 64. Holding on to a top-15 position, Ambrose pitted again at lap 106 when a caution happened for debris. The pit crew changed four tires and shoved a quarter rubber in the right rear because Ambrose had been loose off.

After pitting and making some more laps, Ambrose reported he was loose off on Lap 138. When the yellow flag waved at Lap 172 for debris, he was 24th and said he was 'loose on entry.' Back on pit road at Lap 174, the JTG-Daugherty Racing team changed four tires and took the quarter rubber out of the right rear.

On their next stop under caution at Lap 204, Kerr called for a small wedge adjustment in the Clorox® Toyota and only two tires. The call for two tires was for track position. Ambrose went from 24th to 11th for the restart on Lap 211.

Ambrose eventually fell to 28th and a lap down to leader Hamlin before having the opportunity to pit at Lap 282 for four fresh Goodyear tires. He pitted again on lap 322 and on lap 383 he earned the Lucky Dog and got back on the lead lap. He pitted one final time under caution for more tires and adjustments and fought hard to pass a number of cars to cross the finish line 22nd and post his 19th top-25 finish of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. He remains 17th in the points standings.

Next the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Sylvania 300. Live coverage of the event on Sunday, September 20th on ABC begins at 1 p.m. ET. PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will also broadcast the event.

Ambrose finishes 14th in first Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream

ROSSBURG, Ohio (September 10, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose finished 14th out of 23 drivers that raced in the fifth annual Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream Dirt Late Model Wednesday night at the half-mile Eldora Speedway. The Australian driver started 19th in his No. 47 Kingsford® Charcoal entry and completed 30 laps to earn a top-15 finish in front of more than 23,000 fans.

Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart won the event, which marked his third time in four years. Stewart passed Kenny Wallace on lap 13 of the 30-lap to lead the final 18 laps. Clint Bowyer finished second, Kyle Busch was third, Ryan Newman was fourth and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five. Ambrose’s teammate David Reutimann finished seventh in the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine after starting 18th.

“It was amazing to see how many fans Tony Stewart packed into Eldora and I had a blast racing in my first Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream,” Ambrose said. “All the drivers take it really seriously and everyone wants to try and do well there. You get a lot of people who tune in and buy HBO’s Pay-Per-View for the race. It raises over US$1 million for Tony's charities and this year it was supporting the army-themed charities, so it was for a great cause and I was really excited to be included in it. I hope Tony let’s me come back next year. It was just incredible. I can see why he loves the place. It's pretty select territory and you've got to get invited by one of the best drivers in the Sprint Cup Series, so it was just great to be part of it.”

Before the start of the 30-lap feature, Ambrose was able to make a few hot laps prior to lining up for his heat race. There were three heats leading up to the feature and his group included Jimmie Johnson, Robby Gordon, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader, Kevin Harvick and Red Farmer.

“I got into the fence in Turn 3 there in the heat race and just damaged the lower control arm so we had to fix that and start at the back for the feature,” said Ambrose.

Once the fifth annual Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream kicked off, there were two leaders. Kenny Wallace led laps 1-12 and Stewart led the rest. There were four cautions and on Lap 13, Ambrose made a great move to save his car from a big accident ahead in Turn 3. He threw his Kingsford® Charcoal car sideways and was able to stop it from sliding into Kenny Schrader, Robby Gordon, Casey Mears and Joey Logano that crashed right in front of him.
“I just stayed out of trouble and learned a lot and had a lot of fun,” Ambrose said.

As the race continued, Ambrose began to get a good feel for racing on dirt. “By the end of the race I started to feel a lot more comfortable running up against the fence around the outside and gained a lot of speed,” Ambrose said. “It went great and I can't complain.”“It's a tough field and a lot of these guys have grown up doing this kind of racing. I felt pretty vulnerable out there in the heats and in qualifying and just didn't know where I should and shouldn't be on the race track and what I should be doing,” continued Ambrose. “By the end I was feeling pretty good about it and I'm looking forward to getting the chance to do it again.”
Ambrose went on to finish 14th and learned a great deal about his first dirt race in a Late Model.

“Well, you've pretty much got to turn right to go left and you use the throttle to steer it and the brake to turn it into the corner,” Ambrose said. “It's just a very foreign world and the more the car moves around the more in control you are. I guess it's a bit like a driving a rally car; you've got to run them sideways to really have control. So it was a blast. The cars are not easy to drive. They have over 850 horsepower and they're pretty light. It keeps you busy for the entire race.”

The 33-year-old will be just as busy Saturday night for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. Live coverage from Richmond International Raceway begins on Saturday, September 12th on ABC at 7 p.m. ET and MRN Radio.

Results Wednesday of the Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream Dirt Late Model event September 9 at the half-mile Eldora Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (6) Tony Stewart, 30
2. (1) Clint Bowyer, 30
3. (3) Kyle Busch, 30
4. (4) Ryan Newman, 30
5. (11) Matt Kenseth, 30
6. (15) Cruz Pedregon, 30
7. (18) David Reutimann, 30
8. (9) Aric Almirola, 30
9. (8) Kasey Kahne, 30
10. (10) Jimmie Johnson, 30
11. (17) Kevin Harvick, 30
12. (12) Brian Vickers, 30
13. (23) Ron Capps, 30
14. (19) Marcos Ambrose, 30
15. (20) Casey Mears, 29
16. (22) Red Farmer, 27
17. (2) Kenny Wallace, 20, Mechanical
18. (7) Robby Gordon, 12, Accident T3
19. (14) Ken Schrader, 12, Accident T3
20. (13) Joey Logano, 12, Accident T3
21. (21) Ray Evernham, 2, Accident T1
22. (16) A.J. Allmendinger, 0, Accident T3
23. (5) Denny Hamlin, DNS, Mechanical
Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 38.978 mph
Time of race: 23:05.405
Margin of victory: 3.358 seconds
Cautions: 4 (Lap 1: Allmendinger, Accident T3; Lap 3: Evernham, Accident T1; Lap 13: Schrader, Gordon, Mears, Logano and Ambrose, Accident T3; Lap 20: Mears, Spin T2)
Lead changes: 2 among 2 drivers
Lap leaders: Wallace 1-12, Stewart 13-30
Attendance: More than 23,000
Broadcast: HBO Pay-Per-View