Australian Marcos Ambrose this weekend returns to the venue of his debut NASCAR Sprint Cup oval race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and one of the highlights of the season, the 17th running of the Brickyard 400.After finishing 22nd in both of his previous race starts at the famed venue, Ambrose is looking to climb up the leader board.
“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the greatest race tracks in the world, it’s hard to describe what it feels like racing there,” Marcos Ambrose said.
“The place has an incredible history, it’s one of the fastest ovals on the calendar, and it holds the biggest crowd of any track we visit.
“I always dreamed of racing at Indy, and when I qualified for my first oval race there in 2008, it was an awesome feeling.”
Ambrose will take to the track for two-practice sessions on Friday, before qualifying on Saturday in his JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota Camry.
Despite last weekend’s rare break in the NASCAR schedule, Ambrose still managed to fill his need for speed, with a cameo appearance in the IWK 250 at the 530 metre long Riverside International Speedway, in Nova Scotia Canada.
Following on from qualifying his Late Model Stockcar on the outside of the front row, Ambrose’s car suffered late race mechanical issues, after leading in the early exchanges.
The weekend off since Chicagoland has also included celebrations at the Michael Waltrip Racing workshop, in recognition of David Reutimann’s last start win.
Ambrose’s teammate scored his second career victory, backing up his success from last year’s rain shortened Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“JTG Daugherty Racing obviously works very closely with Michael Waltrip Racing, and we’re so proud that David and his crew have been able to pick up the win in Chicagoland,” Ambrose said.
“They’ve put in an awesome effort, and we hope that momentum can roll over into Indy for the whole squad.”
After Indianapolis, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves on to Pocono Raceway, and then Watkins Glen International, where Ambrose will once again be doing double duty, also racing an entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
After claiming victory in the past two Nationwide events on the New York circuit, Ambrose’s Camry will carry backing from Kwik Fill and Zippo in his quest for three successive wins.
“Watkins Glen is going to be a very busy weekend, but we ran both programs last year, and it proved to be a successful weekend,” Ambrose said.
“It’s going to be exciting, it’s where I won my first NASCAR race, the whole team has really been looking forward to this event all year long, I can’t wait.”
The Brickyard 400 will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 from 2:00am EST on Monday, and One HD from 8:15am EST, check your local guides for broadcast and replay details.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Preview
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Track Distance: 2.5 miles/4.025km
Track Type: Superspeedway
Crowd Capacity: 250,000+
Last time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Brickyard 400, winner- Jimmie Johnson
Marcos Ambrose finishing position- 22nd
Other Marcos Ambrose Results at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2008: 22nd
NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings (after race 19 of 36)
1. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)- 2745 points
2. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)- 2642
3. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)- 2557
4. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)- 2542
5. Kurt Busch (Dodge)- 2524
6. Matt Kenseth (Ford)- 2446
7. Kyle Busch (Toyota)- 2389
8. Jeff Burton (Chevrolet)- 2465
9. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet)- 2389
10. Carl Edwards (Ford)- 2345
11. Greg Biffle (Ford)- 2292
12. Clint Bowyer (Chevrolet)- 2286
28. Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)- 1739
Australian TV Guide
Check local guides for regional viewing times
Qualifying
One HD- Saturday July 25th, 12:20am – 1:40am
Happy Hour Practice
One HD- Monday July 26th, 1:05am – 2:15am
Race
Fox Sports 2 (Plus Fox Sports 2HD)- Monday July 26th, 2:00am – 7:00am
One HD- Monday July 26th, 8:15am – 12:00pm
Race Replays
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3HD)- Monday July 26th, 9:30pm – 12:30pm
Fox Sports 2 (Plus Fox Sports 2HD)- Tuesday July 27th, 9:00am – 12:00pm
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Tuesday July 27th, 8:30pm – 9:30pm
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Wednesday July 28th, 3:30pm – 6:30pm
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Friday July 30th, 6:30am – 9:30am
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Saturday July 31st, 10:30am – 11:30am
For further information on Marcos Ambrose, visit www.marcosambrose.com.au.
