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Ambrose looks to give JTG first cup start at Indy PDF Print E-mail
Friday, 25 July 2008
Marcos Ambrose will attempt to qualify for his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event and the first for JTG Racing when the Australian aims to start in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana this weekend. Ambrose will pull ‘double duty’ once again this weekend, racing in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup race on the same weekend in the same city, but at two very different tracks.

Ambrose will drive the #47 Little Debbie Ford Fusion for JTG Racing in Sprint Cup duties with Frank Kerr as crew chief. As the JTG entry is a debut effort it carries no owner’s points and will have to qualify for the race on speed, one of 12 cars entered who are outside the top 35 in 2008 Owner’s Points.

If Ambrose qualifies for the Allstate 400 it will be his first Sprint Cup race on an oval, a debut that would come on one of the fastest oval venues on the schedule with the long Indianapolis straights providing high top speeds. Ambrose and the JTG Racing crew prepared for the challenge of Indianapolis by attending the official Sprint Cup Series test at Pocono Raceway in May, as Pocono is a similar track to the Brickyard.

Ambrose turned heads in his Sprint Cup debut at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California last month, topping practice, qualifying seventh and running as high as second before gearbox failure sidelined his debut with Wood Brothers Racing in the #21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion. 1988 Sprint Cup champion Bill Elliott will aim to qualify the #21 car this weekend at Indianapolis.

Ambrose will drive his regular car, the #59 Kingsford Ford Fusion, in the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park, also in Indianapolis, Indiana. In contrast to the fast and wide expanses of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, O’Reilly Raceway Park, also in Indianapolis, is a small 0.686-mile oval known for close, tough racing.

After last weekend’s race at Gateway, Ambrose jumped to 12th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, and with the next two races after ORP both on road courses in Montreal and Watkins Glen, Ambrose is in a strong position to continue his climb towards a top 10 points position over the coming weeks.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS:

Geoff Brabham is the only Australian to ever compete in the Allstate 400, formerly known as the Brickyard 400, qualifying 18th and being classified in 38th in the inaugural NASCAR event at the famed speedway known at ‘The Brickyard’ in 1994.

Australians Sir Jack Brabham, Vern Schuppan, Geoff Brabham, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power have all raced in the Indianapolis 500, with Schuppan recording the best finish of an Aussie so far with third place in 1981.

QUOTES - MARCOS AMBROSE

“It’s a big thrill to be competing at a place like Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Ambrose.

“When it comes to motorsport, there are only a few places in the world that come close to the Brickyard in terms of prestige, history, tradition.

“One thing I’ve always got a buzz out of my whole career was being able to tick off the really big tracks around the world and to say I’ve raced there. To race at Indianapolis would be my biggest yet. In the world of motorsport it’s just massive.

“We are just gearing up our Cup team at JTG Racing and it’s going to be a big challenge. We’ve got a brand new car and a brand new crew so it’s a big challenge but we are all working really well together.

“This will be the first race for JTG at Cup level. You’re up against big teams with the best drivers with a lot of resources so we’ve got our work cut out for us but we’ll do our best and see where we can run.

“It’s going to be good. I’ve never driven at the Brickyard but I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a very, very fast track, about the fastest that we go to. There is no test at Indy this year but we ran our car at the Pocono test a little while back and that’s a similar sort of track with long, fast tracks and not much banking, so that helps.

“It will be a busy weekend racing both the Little Debbie car in Cup at the Brickyard and the Kingsford car at ORP in Nationwide, but the two track are in the same city so it’s going to be a lot easier than the Sonoma-Milwaukee deal.”

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Standings - After Race 21 of 35
1. Clint Bowyer 3107
2. Brad Keselowski 2937
3. Carl Edwards 2906
4. David Reutimann 2841
5. David Ragan 2747
6. Kyle Busch 2673
7. Mike Bliss 2633
8. Mike Wallace 2506
9. David Stremme 2463
10. Jason Keller 2443
11. Jason Leffler 2376
12. Marcos Ambrose 2284

2008 NNS Prizemoney after 21 races:
Marcos Ambrose: US$636,873

2007 NSCS Prizemoney after 1 race:
Marcos Ambrose; US$88,250

RACE SCHEDULE
Local Indianapolis (US Eastern) Times
SPRINT CUP Practice 1
Friday 25 July 2008
2:00pm – 3:00pm

SPRINT CUP Practice 2
Friday 25 July 2008
3:30pm – 4:30pm

NATIONWIDE Practice 1
Saturday 26 July 2008
9:00am – 10:15am

SPRINT CUP Qualifying
Saturday 26 July 2008
10:10am

NATIONWIDE Final Practice!
Saturday 26 July 2008
10:45am – 12:00pm

SPRINT CUP Final Practice
Saturday 26 July 2008
3:30pm – 4:30pm

NATIONWIDE Qualifying
Saturday 26 July 2008
4:35pm

NATIONWIDE Race – 200 laps
Saturday 26 July 2008
8:00pm

SPRINT CUP Race – 160 laps
Sunday 27 July 2008
2:00pm US Eastern

UNITED STATES TV SCHEDULE
Nationwide @ ORP
Saturday 26 July 2008
ESPN
7:30pm US Eastern

Sprint Cup @ IMS
Sunday 27 July 2008
ESPN
1:00pm US Eastern

AUSTRALIAN TIMES
Australian Eastern Standard Times
SPRINT CUP Practice 1
Saturday 26 July 2008
4:00am – 5:00am

SPRINT CUP Practice 2
Saturday 26 July 2008
5:30am – 6:30am

NATIONWIDE Practice 1
Saturday 26 July 2008
11:00pm – 12:15am

SPR! INT CUP Qualifying
Sunday 26 July 2008
12:10am

Sunday 26 July 2008
12:45am – 2:00am

SPRINT CUP Final Practice
Sunday 26 July 2008
5:30am – 6:30am

NATIONWIDE Qualifying
Sunday 26 July 2008
6:35am

NATIONWIDE Race – 200 laps
Sunday 26 July 2008
10:00am AEST

SPRINT CUP Race – 160 laps
Monday 28 July 2008
4:00am AEST

AUSTRALIAN TV SCHEDULE
Nationwide @ ORP (Kroger 200)
Sunday 27 July 2008
Ten HD
9:30am – 12:00pm AEST

Sprint Cup @ IMS (Allstate 400)
Monday 28 July 2008
Ten HD and FOX Sports Three
3:00am – 8:00am US Eastern

ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Track Length: 2.5 miles
Race Distance: 160 laps
Degree of Banking in Turns: 9 degrees

ABOUT O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS
Loca! tion: Indianapolis, Indiana
Track Length: 0.686 miles (1.10 km)
Race Distance: 200 laps – 137.2 miles (220.8km)
Degree of Banking in Turns: 7.5 degrees
Degree of Banking in Straights: 2 degrees

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RECORD BOOK
Defending Sprint Cup Race Winner: Tony Stewart
Defending Sprint Cup Polesitter: Reed Sorenson
Marcos Ambrose – Indianapolis Motor Speedway debut

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RECORD BOOK
Defending Nationwide Race Winner: Jason Leffler
Defending Nationwide Polesitter: Aric Almirola
Marcos Ambrose 2007 Race Finish: 32nd
Marcos Ambrose 2007 Qualifying: 24th




Marcos Ambrose gets to work at his first official NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at Pocono Raceway

 



Australian NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose prepares for action

 



Marcos Ambrose drives the #21 Little Debbie Honey Buns Ford Fusion of Wood Brothers Racing at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California

 



Marcos Ambrose speaks to Ford Racing USA boss Dan Davis in the garage at Sonoma, California

 



Marcos Ambrose races the #21 Little Debbie Honey Buns Ford Fusion during his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Infineon Raceway

 
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