Australian NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose is looking to keep his top-ten form rolling this weekend at Darlington Raceway with the running of the Showtime Southern 500.
Ambrose will be wearing the colours of Kingsford Charcoal on his Toyota Camry for the third time this season as he takes on the unique challenge of another high banked short oval, and continue his charge up the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
“Darlington Raceway is a place like no other and it’s as intimidating and challenging as it gets,” Ambrose said.
“You’re winging it around the top (of the race track) and you’ve got no room for error.
“You’ve got a lot of speed and a lot of grip on the track, and it punishes you if you don’t drive it the right way.
“It’s an amazing place, I think anyone that wants to run NASCAR and thinks they are any good, they’ve got to come here and prove themselves first because this is as tough as it gets.”
Ambrose has only one previous NASCAR Sprint Cup start at Darlington Raceway, where he endured a race long battle with the car and the venue.
“I didn’t really race last time because I was just trying to stay out of the way after hitting the wall,” Ambrose said.
“I qualified decent, but by lap five I snagged the wall coming off of turn two and bent the rear end housing and the steering arm.
“It was a nightmare, I had to drive all night like that; it was the longest race of my life.
“David Ragan then spun out and I ran into him and was back in the fence a second time.
“If I was going to wind the clock back, I wouldn’t have been so aggressive when we started the race.”
One factor working in Ambrose’s favour this time around was that he was able to participate in a Goodyear tyre test at the venue in March alongside Clint Bowyer and Elliot Sadler.
"I’m glad I was able to participate in the test and log some more laps there, it’s one of the toughest tracks on the circuit, but I’m a fan of the place and I love it,” Ambrose said.
In addition to being a fan of Darlington Raceway, Ambrose is a fan of night racing, with the event the second Saturday night race in succession.
“I like night time racing and I really enjoy the feel,” Ambrose said.
“It feels faster with the lights, it just has a different sensation.
“It’s neat because the crowd gets into it and by the time the race starts the fans are wound up and the boys are ready to race.
“I love these tracks we are hitting now because they are throwbacks, it’s what it was like years ago, I feel privileged to be experiencing it.”
Ambrose is also thankful for experiencing a ninth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, gaining some more valuable experience in the process.
“We were so excited to finish in the top-ten and at the same time I learned something,” Ambrose said.
“I learned no matter what was going on around me, to keep composure because leadership also comes from the seat.
“My lesson learned is to stay calm because if I do then everyone around me is going to stay calm, if I’m frustrated then the whole team feels it.
“I had a bit of transformation in my attitude last weekend and we brought home results.
“We ran in the top 15 the entire race and had a solid finish,” Ambrose continued. “I’m really happy about our form.
“Getting our first top-ten helps get our season going.
“We felt good about it, expectations are always high, but I think we’re turning a corner.”
The race this weekend will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 3 from 9am Sunday, with replays scheduled on One HD on 8:30pm Tuesday, 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 two 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
Darlington Raceway, Showtime Southern 500, Saturday April 8
Track Distance: 1.366 miles/2.2km
Track Type: Intermediate Oval
Crowd Capacity: 63,000
Last time at Darlington Raceway
Southern 500 winner- Mark Martin
Marcos Ambrose finishing position- 33rd
Other Marcos Ambrose Results at Darlington Raceway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
2008: 10th
2007: 19th
NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings (after race 10 of 36)
1. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)- 1467 points
2. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)- 1457
3. Kyle Busch (Toyota)- 1358
4. Matt Kenseth (Ford)- 1348
5. Greg Biffle (Ford)- 1334
6. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)- 1305
7. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)- 1265
8. Kurt Busch (Dodge)- 1255
9. Jeff Burton (Chevrolet)- 1247
10. Mark Martin (Chevrolet)- 1242
11. Carl Edwards (Ford)- 1227
12. Clint Bowyer (Chevrolet)- 1216
28. Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)- 925
Australian TV Guide
Check local guides for regional viewing times
Qualifying
One HD- Sunday May 9th, 6:00am – 7:00am
Race
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3 HD)- Sunday May 9th, 9:00am – 1:30pm
Race Replays
Fox Sports 2 (Plus Fox Sports 2 HD)- Monday May 10th, 3:00am – 5:30am
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Tuesday May 11th, 8:30pm – 9:30pm
Fox Sports 1 (Plus Fox Sports 1 HD)- Thursday May 13th, 3:00pm – 5:30pm
For more information on Marcos Ambrose, check out www.marcosambrose.com.
