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Ambrose Qualifies Second And Finishes 17th In Nashville |
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Monday, 09 April 2007 |
Team Australia driver Marcos Ambrose has finished 17th after earning his best-ever Busch Series qualifying result in the Pepsi 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee today.
Ambrose qualified second in the Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion, giving him a front-row start to the race alongside polesitter David Stremme.
Ambrose’s qualifying effort is the highest a Raybestos Rookie of the
Year contender has qualified in this season’s NASCAR Busch Series and
comes in only his seventh Busch Series event.
The race, however, was not as successful for the Australian but Ambrose
held his nerve to bring home yet another consistent finish, lifting him
one spot in the championship points into sixth position.
Ambrose remains the highest placed non-Nextel Cup driver in the NASCAR
Busch Series standings and the highest-placed rookie, rising above Juan
Pablo Montoya after today’s result.
Ambrose ran inside the top ten for the first nine laps of the race but
the handling of his car gradually deteriorated and he slowly dropped
back through the field.
Ambrose lost further ground when he was forced to pit for repairs to
the front bar ‘valance’ on his car after he was forced to avoid another
car, damaging the front bodywork as he transferred from the banking on
to the flat apron.
NASCAR Busch Series leader and Ford Nextel Cup star Carl Edwards won today’s Pepsi 300 ahead of David Reutimann and Dave Blaney.
Ambrose has his next NASCAR Busch Series event next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
Marcos Ambrose – Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion
“The first couple of laps were fine, but we just had an imbalance on the car that we couldn't get rid of all day,” said Ambrose.
“It's another good day for us, really just learning every time that we
get in that car. It’s not the result that we were looking for, but we
finished the race and we cemented ourselves in the top 10 again in
points. That's all we could ask for.
“There weren’t as many Cup drivers in the field today, so we probably finished a couple of spots better than we would have.
“I actually prefer the races when a lot of the Cup guys are with us.
It’s good to have those guys in the field. It's good for the drivers,
anyway. It lets you know where you’re at.”
RESULTS: Pepsi 300
Race 7 in the NASCAR Busch Series
1. #60 Carl Edwards 225 laps
2. #99 David Reutimann
3. #10 Dave Blaney
4. #38 Jason Leffler
5. #4 Regan Smith
6. #88 Shane Huffman
7. #29 Scott Wimmer
8. #90 Stephen Leicht
9. #35 Bobby Hamilton Jr
10. #22 Mike Bliss
17. #59 Marcos Ambrose 224 laps
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