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Ambrose will concentrate solely on Busch Series this weekend despite offer from Robby Gordon Motorsports to run Nextel Cup at Dover
Marcos Ambrose returns to the scene of his best NASCAR Busch Series finish at Dover International Speedway for the RoadLoans.com 200 this weekend.
The Australian will focus his full attention on the 29th event in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series, despite an offer from Robby Gordon Motorsports to drive a Nextel Cup Ford Fusion in the Dodge Dealers 400 on Sunday September 23.
Ambrose and wife Sonja are expecting their second child any day now, leading Ambrose to kindly decline the offer from Gordon, who attempted to run Ambrose in the Cup event at Watkins Glen on August 12 only for qualifying to be rained out, leaving Ambrose on the sidelines for the race.
Gordon said to Ambrose after the Watkins Glen qualifying rain-out that he would give him another chance to qualify for his debut NASCAR Nextel Cup race later in the season, with Dover slated as that opportunity given Ambrose’s sensational performance at the ‘Monster Mile’ in the NASCAR Busch Series event held at the Delaware oval in June.
But with Ambrose’s second child due this Sunday, the same day as the Dover NASCAR Nextel Cup race, as well as the stretch in resources required to field a second car, Ambrose has advised Gordon that it would be best for both that they pass on the opportunity on this occasion.
Both Gordon and Ambrose agree that this decision is best for both parties and gives both the best opportunity of success in their respective full-time operations, Ambrose in the Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Busch Series as part of the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team and Gordon in the #7 Ford Fusion for his own Robby Gordon Motorsports team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup.
Ambrose takes a new package into the Busch Series race at Dover, with front-end suspension and aerodynamic revisions from Wood Brothers/JTG Racing making this weekend’s event another test in the team’s continuing development as they work their way forwards.
Ambrose had a ‘breakout’ race at Dover in June, outracing defending series champion Kevin Harvick in the closing stages of the race to finish sixth after qualifying in third. Ambrose collected some impressive statistics over the 200-lap race, running in an average position of 10.9 and spending 174 laps in the top 15 positions.
Ambrose currently sits seventh in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series standings and is second behind fellow Ford driver David Ragan in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings with seven races remaining in this year’s season.
Marcos Ambrose – Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion
On the NASCAR Busch Series RoadLoans.com 200:
“We are running a brand new package in the Busch Series this weekend and I am really looking forward to coming back to Dover,” said Ambrose.
“We ran well there in June but I think this team has really progressed since then and we have really been putting some work into our cars over the past few weeks.
“The guys have been putting in a lot of work and we have some new aero and front end developments that we are going to run for the first time. We are a lot stronger than we were in June so it’s going to be interesting to see where we sit this time around.
“I’m very motivated and excited about the last seven races of the season. Dover is a place we ran well at earlier in the year, Kansas is the next race after that and is a track I really like and there are some other places I’m looking forward to as well.
“We will see how we go this weekend and then I’ll be straight back to Charlotte to be with Sonja and support her.”
On the Nextel Cup offer from Robby Gordon Motorsports:
“The Cup deal would have been great but as much as every driver wants to make it to Nextel Cup, you have to make sure you don’t rush into it,” said Ambrose.
“Robby is a guy that is true to his word. He was doing everything in his power to make this deal work for me. After we missed Watkins Glen because of the qualifying rain-out he offered me a shot for Dover.
“We even entered the car – it got that close – but in the end I told Robby that I really appreciate his offer, but at this stage it is best for all of us if we concentrate on our own deals for this weekend and he agreed.
“I’ve developed a lot of respect for Robby over the past month or so. We are both proud to be Ford drivers, I respect the way he goes about his racing and his business and we will keep the communication channels open and see what happens down the line.
“It would have been a great opportunity, but in the end I think this is best for everyone.”
Q&A INTERVIEW WITH MARCOS AMBROSE
QUESTION: WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR WEEKEND OFF?
MA: “Well, I was waiting for my wife, Sonja, to have the baby, which hasn’t come yet. She’s due this Sunday, but all the early reports were that the baby was going come a little early. But it hasn’t proved to be the case.
“I’ll run the gauntlet this weekend. We’ve got a plan on standby and we’ll be fairly unlucky for the baby to come at a time when I can’t get back, if we have to. Otherwise, she should go full term, which is Sunday anyway, so we’ve got our fingers crossed.
“Sonja wants to go full term if she can, and that’s her decision to make. I’ll just do whatever I can to be there if at all possible. I’ve got plenty of bad jokes to slow her down, but she doesn’t take well to that.”
Q: AT THE JUNE DOVER RACE, YOU QUALIFIED THIRD AND FINISHED SIXTH. TALK ABOUT GOING BACK TO A TRACK WHERE YOU’VE HAD A SOLID PERFORMANCE.
MA: “Last time we had a good weekend there. It all worked out great for us but the team is moving forward. In our case, we’ve got a brand-new package to take there. We’re not running the same set-up we ran last time. We’ve got a different front-end suspension set-up on the car. We’ve got a different body on the car, a different car completely.
“I think we know what we are trying to find and what we are trying to do. Whether we actually execute it on the weekend is a big question. Last time we finished sixth and we felt that we had a solid top 10 run, but we weren’t good enough to do any better than that. So we’ve made some changes and we’re trying to improve our situation.
“I’m really excited about every race from here to the rest of the year because we’ve got some great stuff going on. We’ve got a lot of confidence with our direction that we are heading down, as far as car handling. My learning progress has improved as well, so there’s a lot of good stuff going on.”
Q: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SINCE THE LAST RACE IN DOVER?
MA: “I think it’s just time and confidence behind the wheel. Knowing that I can run the car a little looser than what I’m comfortable doing, which is what you need to do if you get into the corners. It’s a lot of little things that you learn you gain confidence with the machine and the people around you as well.
“There’s no secret to this thing, it’s about experience, and it’s about confidence. I feel like I’m getting more confident in knowing what I want behind the wheel, in the practice sessions, to help set the car up and know what to do on the race track when the race starts. When cars are moving around everywhere, I feel more confident in my abilities to stay out of trouble and make the right decision on the race track.”
Q: YOU’RE ONE OF THE TOP BUSCH-ONLY DRIVERS IN THE POINT STANDINGS. IS THAT TITLE YOU’D LIKE TO WIN?
MA: “It would be great to say we are focused on that, but we’re really not. We’re thrilled to be in the top 10 in points. I feel like we’ve left a lot of points out there with various things that have gone on throughout the season, like everyone can say.
“But in general, we’ve had a great season. We’re fighting for the rookie deal against (David) Ragan, which is still a pretty heavy focus for us. We’re fighting to get our car number in the top 20 in points, which we’re at 18th owner points right now. I’m focused on staying in the top 10 in driver points, too.
“There’s a lot going on, forgetting about the best of the rest. I just want to be solid in the top 10 in points, myself, and keep the team in the solid top 15 in owner points and also see if we can snatch that rookie title away from David Ragan.”
Q: DO YOU THINK THE BUSCH SERIES WOULD BENEFIT FROM A CHASE FORMAT?
MA: “I’m not sure about that. I think the Chase is fantastic; it’s really exciting. When I was learning about the sport, the Chase came in. It was a great way to finish the season. It added a lot of interest in the last 10 races of the season.
The Busch Series is a little different. You haven’t got 43 fulltime drivers in the series. Drivers come and go. I’m not here to comment or criticize or add advice to NASCAR; they’ve done a great job for decades and I’m sure they’ll come up with a good solution to the current issues that face the Busch Series, which is a lot of regular Cup guys, and Busch guys, we struggle to get attention and we struggle to get top 10s just because of the depth of the field.”
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Points Standings – After Race 28
1. Carl Edwards 3998
2. Kevin Harvick 3265
3. David Reutimann 3265
4. Jason Leffler 3172
5. David Ragan 3021
6. Bobby Hamilton Jr 2919
7. Marcos Ambrose 2795
8. Stephen Leicht 2791
9. Greg Biffle 2776
10. Mike Wallace 2672
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings – After Race 28
1. David Ragan 213
2. Marcos Ambrose 188
3. Kyle Krisiloff 170
4. Juan Pablo Montoya 165
5. Brad Coleman 150
6. Brad Keselowski 147
7. Robert Richardson Jr 90
8. Justin Diercks 51
9. Sam Hornish Jr 35
10. Bobby Santos 21
2007 RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD TALLY
David Ragan 9
Marcos Ambrose 5
Juan Pablo Montoya 4
Brad Coleman 4
Brad Keselowski 3
Kyle Krisiloff 2
Timothy Peters 1
MARCOS AMBROSE FAST FACTS
– Marcos Ambrose and the Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion team at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing have earned US$785,307 (A$949,700) in prizemoney in 28 NASCAR Busch Series races this season
– Ambrose will drive the Aussie Vineyards-backed #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
– 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
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