Australian professional golfers Stuart Appleby, Rod Pampling, Mathew Goggin and David Lutterus today met with Australian NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Marcos Ambrose for a tour of the workshop housing his JTG Daugherty Racing team.
Ambrose guided the group around the number 47 Bush’s Baked Beans Toyota he is racing at Richmond International Raceway this weekend, while the golfers are in town for the PGA Tour’s Quail Hollow Championship at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.
“It was great seeing Rod and meeting Stuart (Appleby), Mathew (Goggin) and David (Lutterus),” Ambrose said.
“They’re a bunch of great guys, I enjoyed spending a few hours with them at the shop today talking about golf and racing.”
“Marcos gave us a great tour and it was amazing to see firsthand how large the facility is, the amount of people working here and the cars in rotation,” Pampling said.
“I really enjoy watching NASCAR and it’s nice to see other Australians, such as Marcos, in other sports and doing well.
“I went behind the scenes at a NASCAR race before, and I’m looking forward to sneaking into another race soon.”
On Thursday, Ambrose is competing in the third annual Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Southside Speedway in Midlothian, Virginia.
All proceeds from this event will help raise awareness and funding for the specific needs of individuals afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis as well as other programs that support chronically ill children.
“It’s really for a special cause and I’m appreciative that Denny Hamlin extended an invitation,” said Ambrose about the 250-lap NASCAR Late Model Stock Car event.
“I’ve heard Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch along with other Cup drivers and some of the best Late Model Stock Car drivers are competing in it, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Then on Friday, Ambrose has two practice sessions and qualifying at Richmond International Raceway.
This season Ambrose has endured his fair share of bad luck, and he is looking to rebound from a 37th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, after being an unlucky victim of a late race accident.
“I got clipped in the rear at Talladega and the wall came up fast,” Ambrose said.
“I smacked it pretty good; it’s just amazing how these cars can absorb impacts like that.
“Sunday was just a bad day because I got frustrated and wasn’t nice to my guys on the radio.
“I was upset because I got tangled up on pit road and the car totally lost speed with the left side damage.
“I apologised as soon as I got out of the car, but it’s going to take action rather than just words (to make amends).
“We were right behind Mark Martin when we crashed, and he finished fifth. It just wasn’t our day.”
2010 marks Ambrose’s second full-time season as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, and to date he has done a commendable job against the very toughest competition.
Ambrose has recorded a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen International and owns a pair of third-place finishes.
Altogether, he has recorded five top-five, eight top-10 and 20 top-15 finishes since his debut at Infineon Raceway on June 22, 2008.
Now, he’s focused on a strong finish at Richmond’s 1.21km long oval, where he finished 11th and 22nd respectively last season.
“Richmond is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule, and if I can come away from there with a top-ten finish I will be very happy,” Ambrose said.
“I have two of my mates coming over from Australia to watch the race, they have come from a long way and I want to blow them away with the NASCAR experience.
“It’s going to be a great show and it’s a great series with great drivers.
“I know they will have sensory overload and will be cheering and having a great time.
“Right now, it’s the highlight of my life and I want to share it with other people that wouldn’t be able to see it.”
The race will be shown live on Fox Sports 3 from 2:00am on Monday morning, with One HD replaying the race on Tuesday night, with highlights hosted by Marcos Ambrose. Check your local guides for broadcast details.
Vote Marcos Ambrose into the Sprint All-Star Race
Marcos Ambrose’s next big challenge is to gain a starting spot in the Sprint All-Star Race, which is scheduled for the 22nd of May at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The non-points paying race with a one million dollar prize purse for the winner is an invitation only event, closed to Sprint Cup race winners from the 2009-10 season, former series champions and All-Star Race winners from the past 10 years.
Ambrose can gain a start in the race by either winning one of the three regular season races before the All-Star Race, finish in the top-two in the qualifying race, or win the popular fan vote, which is now open at www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/2010/vote/.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview
Crown Royal presents the Heath Calhoun 400- Richmond International Raceway
Track Distance: 0.75 mile/ 1.21km
Track Type: Short D-Shaped Oval
Crowd Capacity: 112,029
Last time at Richmond International Raceway
Chevy Rock & Roll 400- won by Denny Hamlin
Marcos Ambrose finishing position- 22nd
Other Marcos Ambrose Results at Richmond International Raceway-
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2009 (1): 11th
NASCAR Nationwide Series
2008 (2): 13th
2008 (1): 25th
2007 (2): 15th
2007 (1): 26th
NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings (after race 9 of 36)
1. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)- 1323 points
2. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)- 1297
3. Greg Biffle (Ford)- 1237
4. Matt Kenseth (Ford)- 1224
5. Kyle Busch (Toyota)- 1163
6. Mark Martin (Chevrolet)- 1154
7. Kurt Busch (Dodge)- 1146
8. Dale Earnhardt Jnr (Chevrolet)- 1142
9. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)- 1138
10. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)- 1130
11. Clint Bowyer (Chevrolet)- 1086
12. Jeff Burton (Chevrolet)- 1082
30. Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)- 787
Australian TV Guide
Check local guides for regional viewing times
Qualifying
One HD- Sunday May 2nd, 12:50 pm – 2:00pm
Race
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3 HD)- Sunday May 2nd, 9:00am – 1:00pm
Race Replays
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Tuesday May 4th, 8:30pm – 9:30pm
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3 HD)- Thursday May 6th, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Friday May 7th, 12:30am – 1:30am
