OzRacingWrap

Marcos Ambrose endured a frustrating day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finishing the Sylvania 300 in 30th position.

Long segments of green flag racing coupled with a car that was never comfortable on the race track conspired against the Australian, who keeps his remarkable streak of 28 straight races without a non-finish intact.

"It was a really tough weekend, we were never really able to get a handle on the car," Ambrose said.

"It's frustrating, especially after we ran strongly here early in the year.

"We're now focused on Dover, and we really want to back up our third place from May with another good result next weekend."

Starting from the 29th position, the handling of the DEWALT Ford Fusion wasn't to Ambrose's liking right from the drop of the green flag, as he held station on the edge of the top-20 throughout the opening stint.

Ambrose stopped for the first time on lap 64 under green flag conditions, with the car scored as high as 16th during the pit stop shuffle.

The first caution of the day for debris flashed on shortly after the stop, with Ambrose missing out on the Lucky Dog free pass back onto the lead lap by a single car.

The Richard Petty Motorsports crew elected not to take the wave-around, instead pitted for four new tyres before racing resumed.

Unfortunately for Ambrose, another yellow flag was not forthcoming while he was in position for the free-pass, with the next round of green flag stops taking place on lap 150.

Although the yellows waved on laps 157 for Landon Cassill and 173 for Matt Kenseth, Ambrose was by this stage trapped two laps down on the leaders.

The second half of the 300 mile race was a battle of survival, with the required caution flags never eventuating.

At the finish, Ambrose was classified in 30th position, three laps down on the race winner Tony Stewart, who now leads the series after winning two consecutive events.

Next week the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues with the running of the AAA 400 from the Monster Mile at Dover, a happy hunting ground for Ambrose, who finished third at the venue earlier in the season.

Sylvania 300 Review

Race Results

1. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet)

2. Brad Keselowski (Dodge)

3. Greg Biffle (Ford)

4. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)

5. Brian Vickers (Toyota)

6. Matt Kenseth (Ford)

7. David Ragan (Ford)

8. Carl Edwards (Ford)

9. Juan Pablo Montoya (Chevrolet)

10. Regan Smith (Chevrolet)

30. Marcos Ambrose (Ford)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Standings (After race 28 of 36)

1. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet)- 2094 points

2. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet)- 2086

3. Brad Keselowski (Dodge) - 2083

4. Carl Edwards (Ford)- 2080

5. Dale Earnhardt Jnr (Chevrolet)- 2073

6. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)- 2071

7. Kyle Busch (Toyota)- 2068

8. Matt Kenseth (Ford)- 2068

9. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)- 2065

10. Kurt Busch (Dodge)- 2065

23. Marcos Ambrose (Ford)- 712