Marcos Ambrose is hoping a last minute wave of public support can help earn himself a start in NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race, which is being held this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.With one million dollars in prize money on the line, the All-Star Race is a rare opportunity for the best of the best NASCAR drivers to race without championship implications on their mind.
Entry in the All-Star Race is open to Sprint Cup race winners from the 2009-10 seasons, former series champions and All-Star Race winners from the past 10 years, as well as the top-two finishers from the Showdown (which is held directly before the All-Star Race) and the winner of a popular fan vote.
The fan vote is open until 10am on Sunday (Australian Eastern Standard Time), with fans encouraged to vote as often as they like at www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/2010/vote/.
For Ambrose, support from his legion of fans in Australia is all important to gaining the top-spot in the fan vote, for which he has been featuring strongly in the top-ten until now.
“I’d love to be locked in, it’s a great event, there are only a couple of events that you ever do where points don’t mean anything, it’s all about winning, and I’d love to represent my fellow Australians against the some of best drivers in the world,” Ambrose said, who will be wearing a one-off black paint scheme for the event with support from Cavalia.
“The All-Star Race is a big thing, there’s no holding back, and everyone is out there racing as hard as they can because you don’t have to worry about the championship situation.
“Charlotte is my home race, I live just down the road and our team is based here as well, so it’s important to make the main show for all of our friends and family who will be in attendance.
“Obviously it’s also vital that we turn our season around, we’ve been a bit snake bitten to date this year with luck just not going our way.
“We’re racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the next two-weeks, with the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend, a good run at the All-Star Race will set us up well for the points paying round.”
Competition in the Showdown and the fan vote will be fierce, with luminaries such as Carl Edwards, Juan Montoya, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Bill Elliot, Michael Waltrip and Sam Hornish Jnr amongst the 30 competitors still scrambling for the remaining three slots still open in the All-Star Race.
The All-Star Race features an unique format, with the race split into four segments, with a final 10 lap sprint to the chequered flag ensuring all competitors are in with a chance of victory.
The Showdown and the All-Star Race will be shown live on Fox Sports 3 from 9am on Sunday, with replays shown on One HD.
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Preview
Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sprint All-Star Race and Showdown- Saturday May 22
Track Distance: 1.5 miles/2.41km
Track Type: Intermediate Quad-Oval
Crowd Capacity: 165,000
Sprint All-Star Race Format
Segment 1
50 laps with a mandatory four-tyre pit stop under green, followed by a caution flag for an optional pit stop
Segment 2
20 laps followed by a caution flag for an optional pit stop
Segment 3
20 laps followed by a 10-minute break where adjustments are permitted and a mandatory pit stop to set the field
Segment 4
10 laps to the green flag –only green flag laps count
Last year in the All-Star Race-
Race won by Tony Stewart
Last year in the Shootout-
Race won by Sam Hornish Jnr, Jamie McMurray second
Marcos Ambrose finished 10th
Drivers Currently Qualified for the All-Star Race
Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jnr.
Previous Fan Vote Winners
2009- Joey Logano
2008- Kasey Kahne *
2007- Kenny Wallace
2006- Kyle Pretty
2005- Martin Truex Jnr
2004- Ken Schrader
* Won the All-Star race after winning the popular vote
Nascar Sprint Cup Standings (after race 12 of 36)
1. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)- 1768 points
2. Kyle Busch (Toyota)- 1699
3. Matt Kenseth (Ford)- 1642
4. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)- 1637
5. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)- 1618
6. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)- 1605
7. Greg Biffle (Ford)- 1581
8. Jeff Burton (Chevrolet)- 1569
9. Kurt Busch (Dodge)- 1531
10. Carl Edwards (Ford)- 1487
11. Mark Martin (Chevrolet)- 1475
12. Martin Truex Jnr (Toyota)- 1434
28. Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)- 1068
Australian TV Guide
Check local guides for regional viewing times
Race
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3 HD)- Sunday May 23rd, 9:00am – 1:00pm
Race Replays
Fox Sports 2 (Plus Fox Sports 2 HD)- Sunday May 23rd, 11:30pm – Monday May 24th, 1:30am
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Tuesday May 25th, 8:30pm – 9:30pm
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Thursday May 27th, 11:25pm – Friday May 28th, 12:25am
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Friday May 28th, 9:30am – 10:30am
For more information on Marcos Ambrose, check out www.marcosambrose.com.
