Marcos Ambrose dominated proceedings in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 this morning at Watkins Glen International, sweeping to his third straight victory at the venue after starting from pole position.
Ambrose led 60 of the race’s 82 laps enroute to victory, running away from a late race restart to head home Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.
Ambrose’s pole position time was a new track record, and his third Nationwide Series pole from his 72 career starts, while the three-peat of victories at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide Series equals Terry Labonte’s record run at the circuit from 1994 to 1996.
“We’re here to go for the double victory this weekend, we really want to win tomorrow as well,” Marcos Ambrose said from Victory Lane.
“The car today was awesome, everyone on the team did an awesome job, and it’s a lot of fun being out in front of these races.
“To win three in a row here is pretty sweet; it’s a huge result for the team.
“I’m saying goodbye to JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the year, so it’s nice to score a win for them.”
Ambrose jumped away from his front row starting spot, clearly leading the race until the first round of green flag pit stops on lap 17.
After a caution period to pick up debris from the race track, Ambrose restarted second behind Logano on lap 23, although racing didn’t make it past the first corner, where a ten-car pile up started by Jason Leffler halted the race for 25 minutes.
Kyle Busch led upon the resumption of racing, but Ambrose made a decisive move stick at half race distance to regain the lead, which he never relinquished.
After another green flag pit stop for four tyres on lap 50, Ambrose kept the race lead, although it wasn’t all clear sailing for the Australian, who had to nurse the car to the finish after a gearbox mount broke.
Ambrose survived another pair of late race cautions, before cruising to victory in the closing laps.
Earlier in the day, Ambrose qualified in 11th position for tomorrow’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.
“We just didn’t quite get enough out of it in qualifying,” Ambrose said.
“Still, we feel good, we know we have a good car, it’s the same one we used at Sonoma, and we know we’ll be racing for the win.
“Today is a great confidence boost, but tomorrow is pay day and the one we dearly want to win.”
In practice, Ambrose was placed third and seventh in the two sessions, with pole position going to Carl Edwards, his first career road course pole.
Ambrose’s other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen have resulted in a second place finish in 2009 (qualified fourth), and a third in 2008 after starting the race from 43rd and last.
All of the action from the Sprint Cup race can be seen on Fox Sports 3 from 2:00am Monday morning, check your local guides for broadcast details.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Race Review
Watkins Glen International- Zippo 200 at the Glen (NASCAR Nationwide Series)
1. Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)
2. Joey Logano (Toyota)
3. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)
4. Brad Keselowski (Dodge)
5. Kyle Busch (Toyota)
6. Ron Fellows (Chevrolet)
7. Nelson Piquet Jnr (Ford)
8. Jacques Villenuve (Toyota)
9. Steve Wallace (Toyota)
10. Michael McDowell (Dodge)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Starting Grid- Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen
1. Carl Edwards (Ford)
2. Jamie McMurray (Chevrolet)
3. Juan Montoya (Chevrolet)
4. A.J. Allmendinger (Ford)
5. Kurt Busch (Dodge)
6. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet)
7. Greg Biffle (Ford)
8. Scott Speed (Toyota)
9. Jimme Johnson (Chevrlrolet)
10. Kyle Busch (Toyota)
11. Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)
Next Event
Watkins Glen International- Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen (Sprint Cup) tomorrow morning.
Australian TV Guide
Check local guides for regional viewing times
Nationwide Race
One HD- Sunday August 8th, 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Sprint Cup Qualifying
One HD- Monday August 9th, 12:00am – 1:15am
Sprint Cup Race
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3HD)- Monday August 9th, 2:00am – 6:00am
Nationwide Race Replays
One HD- Tuesday August 10th, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
One HD- Wednesday August 11th, 9:30am – 12:00pm
One HD- Friday August 13th, 2:35am – 5:05am
One HD- Saturday August 14th, 8:00am – 9:00am
Sprint Cup Race Replays
Fox Sports 3 (Plus Fox Sports 3HD)- Monday August 9th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Fox Sports 1 (Plus Fox Sports 1HD)- Tuesday August 10th, 3:00am – 4:30am
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Tuesday August 10rd, 8:30pm – 9:30pm
One HD (Hosted by Marcos Ambrose)- Thursday August 12th, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
For further information on Marcos Ambrose, visit www.marcosambrose.com.au.
