Marcos Ambrose wins road race!

[Serial_Fool]

hand_bag69@sprintgasracing.com

[kempster1]

Originally Posted by cool65

I want to share the love.
Has anyone got Greg Murphy's email address?

http://www.murph.co.nz/index.php?opt...ntact&Itemid=3

[gtxb67]

it is great news - all the more so that marcos was a ford man from the go and turned down a great holden drive to join the blue oval at a time when they were not very successful
history shows he played a major part in ford's revival and the happiness of the v8 fans over the last five years. hopefully he can get just as much success over in the states

[xr8 utey]

Originally Posted by birdman941

That's it!
I am moving to Australia!

just don't go to tasmania,that's south of australia

[Ives]

Good on him.

[stockel]

Well done Marcos!

You can watch the last few laps and the victory lane video here,

http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/bg/index.html

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by stockel

Well done Marcos!

You can watch the last few laps and the victory lane video here,

http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/bg/index.html

Great Videos !

Thanks...

[xr8 utey]

Originally Posted by stockel

Well done Marcos!

You can watch the last few laps and the victory lane video here,

http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/bg/index.html

i just watched the 'final laps' video and the commentators just crack me up describing tasmania as a 'little island just south of australia'

[JC]

Watched the replay on 10 today, and I thought it was last week's race where he was winning, but then had to pit and then they called the race.

Anyway, good to see him win - that will take some pressure off himself, so he may be more relaxed and might even win on an oval (he joked that he will win next week).

[Swordsman88]

Great news....thank God he finally won. I was worried the pressure would get to him. Hope now he can relax a bit, focus on ovals and get a win on them....then who knows....

Originally Posted by birdman941

That's it!
I am moving to Australia!

If you thought that was good, wait till you see this. Its a great little video about Bathurst....it is truly an amazing race track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWk_z...eature=related

I've gone off V8 Supercars a bit lately (not enough actual racing IMO)....but after watching that i'm already looking forward to the endudros. Bring on THE MOUNTAIN!!!!

[DOC]

Originally Posted by orsm8

Yep he is from Tasmania which is a southern state of Australia. Great news by the way

Yes Hence the Devil R or in full the Devil Racer with the Devil taken from the animal the tasmanian devil.

[oooooooooo]

Got up at 4.30 this morning to watch the race on Ch 10 hd. Well done marcus.

The real test will be tommoro in the cup race. Its not on ch 10 hd but its on fox 4 oclock in the morning. Damm, i don't have fox.

He is one of the fastest runners but he will start from the back i think due to qualifying being wet and he is not a full time driver. Should be very, very interesting.

[Dezza]

Great job by Marcos! I knew it was only a matter of time.

[blueoval]

Marcos, what a talent. Top racer in tough conditions. He deserves this win. Go aussie!

[birdman941]

Hopefully he will do well today.
He's driving a Wood Bros. Ford, with motors by Roush.
Hoping for at LEAST a top 5 from him.
Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by Swordsman88

If you thought that was good, wait till you see this. Its a great little video about Bathurst....it is truly an amazing race track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWk_z...eature=related

Awesome looking track.
They are on the TV here sometimes (Speedchannel),
but I have to see when they are running so I can watch/enjoy it.

[birdman941]

10 laps in and Marcos has gained 10 spots already!

[birdman941]

Lap 52 and he's up to 19th........................

[birdman941]

25 laps to go....................











Marcos in in 5th place!!!!
Edit:
15 to go:






4th..........................







3rd.......................

[birdman941]

Not sure if you folks have it on the tube or not.
Red flag for a huge wreck. (8 laps to go)
Marcos was NOT involved at all,
and is still in 3rd behind 2 Toilettas (Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart)
and ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya.

[birdman941]

Finished third.
A great performance.
Wow!

[Serial_Fool]

And THAT performance is why Marcos is one of the best production car drivers in the world.

[birdman941]

He beat every GM driver out there.
The man can definitely drive. :sm_headba

[JPDyno]

Good to see an aussie making in good over there!! I watched a fair bit on Ten HD yesterday and he certainly seemed more comfortable on the twisty stuff than most of the other drivers (ofcourse anyone who knows the aussie V8 series wouldn't be suprised)

[birdman941]

Now if you guys could just send some FPV Falcons and Utes here..........

[GS608]

Originally Posted by birdman941

Now if you guys could just send some FPV Falcons and Utes here..........

I think we're starting up an Aussie Invasion : how good would that be for you blokes, an Aussie dominating NASCAR (you watch it'll happen) and all your performance cars are FPVS :

[birdman941]

Originally Posted by XR-CHIEF

I think we're starting up an Aussie Invasion : how good would that be for you blokes, an Aussie dominating NASCAR (you watch it'll happen) and all your performance cars are FPVS :

Fine with me.
I am one of the few who thinks a 5.4 32V is the way to go.
I was thinking of at least visiting there, but have to research.

Edit:
Unofficial race results from the cup race.
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008...nofficial.html

[nugget378]

Originally Posted by birdman941

I assume the Supercars use the Boss motors?
Still using pushrods/carbs here in Nascar.
Stone age.

They use what is basically a 5 litre nascar engine although the difference being IR efi manifold and motec ecu..

[XR8 Uterous]

Well done Marcos!

[xr8 utey]

10 August 2008 http://www.marcosambrose.com
AMBROSE DRIVES FROM LAST TO THIRD IN WATKINS GLEN CUP RACE


Marcos Ambrose has stormed through the field to finish third after starting from last in the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International in New York state today.

After starting from 43rd position as a result of qualifying being rained out on Friday, Ambrose’s result was the best-ever finish by an Australian in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the top division of NASCAR. Ambrose and the Wood Brothers Racing team earned US$141,095 in prizemoney for third in today's 90-lap race.

In just his third Sprint Cup start, Ambrose was one of the fastest cars on track all day long behind the wheel of the #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion.

The 31-year-old made 12 positions in the first nine cars, circulating as the fastest car on the track despite being in the thick of the field.

Ambrose made his first pit stop on lap 25 under green flag conditions and after the first round of stops had played out Ambrose was in 21st position, more than halfway through the field.

Ambrose edged into the top 20 on lap 40 and five laps later at half race distance was in 15th place.

When a caution was called on lap 50 of 90, Ambrose made his second stop. But some five laps later Ambrose reported a vibration from the front wheels due to loose lug nuts, and with 33 laps remaining he re-entered the pits to have the wheels tightened and also collect a top up on fuel that would allow him to safely complete the race without a further pit stop.

On lap 65 Ambrose had made his way up to fifth position and continued to set some of the fastest laps of the race.

With 16 laps remaining Ambrose passed Martin Truex Jr for fourth position, and three laps later he inherited third place with Ryan Newman spun at Turn 1.

At the restart after Newman’s spin Ambrose defended from former Formula 1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, the two setting out to chase down the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart.

But one lap later a massive crash at the final corner brought out the red flag for over half an hour. Nine cars were involved in the spectacular wreck but all drivers emerged from their cars unassisted.

At the restart with five laps remaining Ambrose did not get a good jump, but over the next two laps he closed the deficit to Stewart. Ambrose was right on the bumper of Stewart but in the end came home in third.

Ambrose’s third-place finish was the first top five for the Wood Brothers since Ricky Rudd finished fourth at Bristol Motor Speedway on 27 August 2005.

Current Sprint Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch, who ran second to Ambrose in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race yesterday at Watkins Glen, won today’s Centurion Boats at the Glen ahead of two-time Sprint Cup Series Champion Stewart, Ambrose, Montoya and Martin Truex Jr.

Ambrose will again aim to race in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next weekend when he races at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

QUOTES – MARCOS AMBROSE

“It was just a long day out there,” said Ambrose.

“We used the car up a lot and at the end we had no clutch left, no brakes left and it was tiring.

“Coming through the field is really hard work. We really worked the car hard to get through the field in the first half of the race.

“It was great fun running with those guys at the front. I’ve really got to thank them for not taking me off there. It would be easy to send me off into the weeds with that rookie stripe on the car.

“The Wood Brothers have given me a great car on both the road courses and I’ve really got to thank them. It’s great to run well for them.

“I’ve got to thank Little Debbie and the McKee family and everyone involved here. We’ve had a good run here and I’ll remember this weekend for a long time.”

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

MARCOS AMBROSE – THIRD PLACE:

“It’s just a great weekend all around. I thought yesterday was great, but when I wound up there on that red flag, I realised where I was. I was behind Tony and in front of all those other great drivers.

“We came up out of the truck so well yesterday, in practice we were too scared to change anything, and the car was flopping around a lot during the race. It had a lot of grip, it was just real tough to drive. So I just tried to stay clean as best I could there and pass cars cleanly, and just pick away at it. You know, I really had no idea where we were at until the last pit stops. We cycled through about sixth place, so it’s just a great day all along.

“I’m just so proud of the Wood Brothers for giving me a piece that I could get out there and give it my best, and Little Debbie and the McKee family for giving me the chance to go Cup racing.

“I don’t want to be labelled a road racer, by the way, too. I am 10th in the Nationwide Series points, so I’m trying to make it as a NASCAR driver full stop, not just a road racer. I’m just really excited that I’ve been given an opportunity and I’ve able to be making the most of it.

“You know, you don’t get many chances in life to do something special like this, and today I’m going to look back at very fondly – the whole weekend, to be honest with you. I’m just really proud of both my times, and I hope it can give the Wood Brothers a shot in the arm that they need to really get the momentum to move forward.”

Q: WERE YOU BRAKES IFFY ON THE LAST RESTART? AND WAS THERE EVER A CHANCE THAT YOU COULD TRY TO DIVE PAST TONY STEWART?

“I just really want to be respectful to the guys out there who are doing it week-in and week-out. It’s not my place to stick my nose in and ruin someone else’s day that’s fighting for the Chase. If I was going to pass Tony, I was going to do it clean. I really thought about it, I wanted to have a crack at it, but I just wasn’t close enough, I didn’t get the run up the hill through the esses to get him into the bus stop.

“So, the difference between second and third today was small, compared to the negative it would’ve had had I taken out one of these Chase guys and got a bad reputation. So, I wanted to badly have a crack a Tony at the end there. I thought better of it when I just didn’t have the run that I needed to to make a clean pass.”

Q: FOR THE RECORD, HOW MANY CARS DID YOU PASS TO GET THAT TRACK POSITION?

“It felt like I passed everyone three times. Some guys, just through the cycle of pit stops, I did pass three or four times out there. We passed quite a few on the track, we passed quite a few in the pits, too, just with our strategy. I wasn’t overtaken all day, which I’m proud of, and we did a lot of passing. You have to have the right strategy when you come from the back.

“It’s not all about passing cars out there, it’s about having the right calls in the pits, too. And David Hyder did a great job, stopping us at the right time so I could make it home on the gas, and it’s just been a great day. It’s been a great two days on strategy, to be honest with you, because we managed really well yesterday, as well.”

Q: YOU ALSO GAVE A SHOT IN THE ARM TO THE WOOD BROTHERS TODAY. HOW IS IT THAT YOU CONSULTED WITH THEIR ENGINEERS, SUCH AS HOYT OVERBAGH?

“It’s actually quite strange because the guys that I had at Sonoma aren’t the same crew chief and Hoyt wasn’t with us when we were at Sonoma when we ran really well, too. So, we had a car that was sort of mothballed after Sonoma, we tested at Atlanta, and it’s like, ‘What do we do?’ The new guy’s in want to change it, I know that car was good – it had tested at Atlanta – I didn’t want to change it. So, we were debating during the week what we should or shouldn’t do, and then with limited time on Saturday, we decided that the best thing to do was just roll it out like we tested because I thought it was a pretty safe package.

“It’s just been great. It’s been great working with Hyder for the first time. I’m driving for three teams this year; it’s the first time I’ve ever done that. So, I’m losing helmets and earplugs, boots and all kinds of things because I’m so disorganized between the three trailers. It’s just a lot of fun to work with new guys, and they’re top notch. They got me a great piece and got me everything I asked for today.”

Q: THAT WAS THE FIRST TOP-FIVE FOR THE WOOD BROTHERS IN MORE THAN THREE YEARS. HOW MUCH DID THE TEAM NEED THIS?

“Well, I felt bad for breaking the gearbox at Sonoma because I think we were going on for a strong top-10 there for them. But they’ve had a tough run, there’s no doubt about that, and I hope I can play my part in helping them get back on track. The problem is bigger than one person.

“This is a tough sport. You’ve got to be 100-percent committed and have the resources and everything behind you to make it work. I hope they can turn it around, and it’s just great that I can give them a bit of a lift, but, like I said, they’ve got a long road ahead, and hopefully they can get it done.”

Q: YOU’RE WATCHING THAT BIG WRECK ON THE MONITORS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS NOW THAT YOU’VE SEEN IT?

“That’s pretty big. I’m pleased I wasn’t in the back. That’s just a mess right there. Nothing you can say. I just hope everyone’s all right. I guess they are.”

Q: YOU SAID THIS MORNING THAT LAST NIGHT, AFTER YOUR NATIONWIDE WIN, WAS KIND OF QUIET AND YOU WENT TO BED EARLY, BUT YOU GOT A LOT OF PHONE CALLS FROM AUSTRALIA. WHAT’S TONIGHT GOING TO BE LIKE?

“I’ve got a three-year-old and a one-year-old back at home, so if I have too big a night it’s going to be really painful on Monday, so I’ll have a couple of cans – everyone was asking me what cans were last night. Beer cans, by the way, not soda. Beer cans.

“But, just really excited. It’s a great weekend. I’m going to enjoy it when I get back to Charlotte. I’ve dragged my family a long way, away from immediate friends and family down home, and it’s just a lot of commitment. When you have a weekend like this, it just validates the choices that I’ve made to come across here and have a go at it.

“It’s a big, bad world out here in NASCAR world, and I’m just pleased that I’m able to have a weekend like this to remember. When it’s all said and done, I’ll be able to home back to Tasmania and tell them how good I was at Watkins Glen on one year.”

Q: ARE YOU RUNNING BOTH RACES NEXT WEEK?

“Yeah, we’ve got a fair chance of getting humbled next week, so I’m going to have a really good five days to enjoy it, and we’ll try to qualify the 21 car in at Michigan, and we’ll take hold of that 59 car in the Nationwide series, too.”

Q: YESTERDAY YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE GOING TO CELEBRATE A LITTLE. HOW MANY DID YOU HAVE, AND ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE IT A TRADITION? AFTERALL, YOU HAD TWO GOOD DAYS IN A ROW…

“You know, I’ve got two little girls at home, and I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning have a great day with them and just enjoy it. I’ll celebrate it with my crew when we get back to Charlotte, and I’ll celebrate with my family. But, we’ve got a race next week. I’ve gone down this road before and races come and go, and you’ve got to try and stay level. You don’t want to get too high when the going’s good, and you don’t want to get too low when the going’s bad.

“So, we’ll enjoy it. I’ll speak to my dad here in a minute, back in Australia. He’s waiting for a phone call so I can tell him all about it. But, just really excited that we finished the deal. I really just wanted to finish today – especially there the last 15 laps there. I didn’t want to ruin the day by making mistakes. I just wanted to finish and we’ve done that. All my guys on the Wood Brothers side should be proud and it’s just going to be great to enjoy it tonight.”

DAVID HYDER – Crew Chief, #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion:

“I’ll tell you what, he could be the very best road-course driver I’ve ever seen. It all worked out. We came out third, so I’m happy and tickled to death.”

Q: THE 21 STARTED IN THE BACK. WAS THERE A TIME WHEN YOU KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD DAY?

“You know, I kept watching his lap times and they didn’t fall off in a long run like a lot of the cars did. He stayed consistent and kept the car under him all day, and we looked at the tires there the first stop, at that point in time I figured it was going to be a pretty good day if everything fell our way from there on out.”

Q: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MOMENTUM? AND WHAT CAN YOU TAKE OUT OF THIS RACE?

“Anytime you can finish in the top five in this series, you’re doing your job and certainly it’ll help us in the future. But, we’ll take it into Michigan next week and work on the car and get it where we need it and take it from there.”

EDDIE WOOD – co-owner, #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion:

Q: WHEN DID YOU KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD DAY?

“About five minutes ago. You could feel all day long that nothing went wrong and your pit stops are okay and everybody did what they ought to do and were supposed to do, you feel like it’s going to be a good day. On that restart there, the 42 [Juan Pablo Montoya] was really good early in a run, and I was really afraid it was going to race pretty hard there, but fortunately the 1 [Martin Truex Jr] got to the 42 and kind of slowed him up and we got gone. I was worried about that.”

Q: YOU KNEW YOU HAD A GOOD DRIVER ON ROAD COURSES, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DAY YOUR CREW CHIEF HAD TODAY?

“Actually, everything went really well. Marcos has done one heck of a job, for his first time here in a Cup car and all that. We needed this so badly because I think this is our first top-five – you tell me, I don’t know but it’s been a long time.

“Hyder came on board with his people. It’s just made a world of difference. We ran well last week at Pocono; we had a good car at Sonoma also, but this car was really good today. Mike Smith and Dave Simba took it to Atlanta last week and tested it, and all that stuff worked well and blended right in what Hyder and Hoyt [Overbagh] were doing, and it all fell into place. Sometimes things will fall into place for you.”

Q: CAN YOU CARRY MOMENTUM FROM THIS RACE MOVING FORWARD?

“Anytime you have a good run, it creates enthusiasm and all that, and we’re taking the Pocono car, that ran pretty well at Pocono, we’re taking it to Michigan next week. We’re re-doing all of our race cars right now. We’ve got about two of them ready and that’s one of them.”

RESULTS: Centurion Boats at Watkins Glen International
Race 22 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
1. #18 Kyle Busch 90 laps
2. #20 Tony Stewart
3. #59 Marcos Ambrose
4. #42 Juan Pablo Montoya
5. #1 Martin Truex Jr
6. #29 Kevin Harvick
7. #48 Jimmie Johnson
8. #11 Denny Hamlin
9. #99 Carl Edwards
10. #2 Kurt Busch

2008 NSCS Prizemoney after 3 races:
Marcos Ambrose: US$378,170

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Standings – After Race 24 of 35
1. Clint Bowyer 3448
2. Brad Keselowski 3320
3. Carl Edwards 3274
4. David Reutimann 3158
5. David Ragan 3147
6. Mike Bliss 3068
7. Kyle Busch 3003
8. Mike Wallace 2845
9. Jason Leffler 2784
10. Marcos Ambrose 2776

2008 NNS Prizemoney after 24 races:
Marcos Ambrose: US$783,472

AUSTRALIAN TV REPLAYS
Monday 11 August 2008 – Sprint Cup
FOX Sports One
12:00pm – 2:00pm

Monday 11 August 2008 – Sprint Cup
FOX Sports One
10:30pm – 12:30am

Saturday 16 August 2008 – Sprint Cup
Ten HD
1:00pm – 2:00pm

Saturday 16 August 2008 – Nationwide
Ten HD
12:00pm – 1:00pm

ABOUT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
Location: Watkins Glen, New York
Track Length: 2.45 miles
Race Distance: 82 laps Nationwide/90 laps Sprint Cup
Circuit Type: 11-turn road course

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RECORD BOOK
Defending Sprint Cup Race Winner: Kevin Harvick
Defending Sprint Cup Polesitter: Patrick Carpentier
Marcos Ambrose Watkins Glen Sprint Cup debut

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RECORD BOOK
Defending Nationwide Race Winner: Tony Stewart
Defending Nationwide Polesitter: Jeff Gordon
Marcos Ambrose 2007 Race Finish: 13th
Marcos Ambrose 2007 Qualifying: Seventh

[SSbaby]

Just shows how good the man really is. He believes in himself and has the ability to back it up.

Well done, Marcos! You're doing Australia proud!