OzRacingWrap

Marcos Ambrose had to settle for 11th after 500 miles of racing at Texas Motor Speedway today in the latest round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, after being one of the front runners throughout the gruelling event.

Following on from a spirited battle with eventual race winner Tony Stewart for the lead, Ambrose took on only two tyres in a late race pit stop, with the strategic move altering the handling of the car.

Ambrose however rallied in the closing stages, picking up 17 positions, with the result elevating him one place in the points standings to 17th.

"Ever since we wheeled out the DEWALT Ford on Friday, it has been as fast as any car we have had all year long," Ambrose said.

"It's a shame about the two-tyre stop, as it really unsettled the car and made it very difficult to drive for a segment there.

"Still, there are plenty of positives, the crew did some magic stops throughout the race, and we ran near the front for a long time.

"I can't wait until Phoenix next weekend and finish off the season strongly."

After starting from 12th position, Ambrose wasted little time before moving forward into the top-ten, slotting into sixth position after the first round of green flag pit stops.

The race continued through another round of green flag services, which saw Ambrose elevated to fifth prior to the first caution for debris on lap 110 of 334.Ambrose then slid back to eighth, but he jumped past Carl Edwards on the next stop before quickly moving up into fifth.

The Australian made his intentions clear by passing five-time champion Jimmie Johnson for fourth position on lap 185, and then David Ragan for third.

The second caution then waved on lap 200 when Brian Vickers, Geoff Bodine and Juan Montoya got together on the back stretch.

The Richard Petty Motorsports crew swung into action and managed to get the DEWALT Ford out of the pits in second spot, which translated to third when Kasey Kahne elected not to stop.

On the lap 209 restart, Ambrose raced straight up into second, before battling hard with Tony Stewart for the race lead.

Jimmie Johnson brought out the next caution with a spin through the tri-oval grass, with Ambrose emerging in third place following the ensuing pit stops.

After being demoted to fifth position on the restart, the caution waved again when Joey Logano blew his engine, with the team electing to take on two tyres during the next service.

Restarting from fourth, Ambrose's car failed to respond to the different strategy, with the outfit freefalling back to a race low 28th position and a lap down.

Without the help of cautions, Ambrose took on a full compliment of tyres at his last pit stop, and charged back through to 11th position at the chequered flag, recording his 21st lead lap finish for the season.

The race was won by Stewart over Carl Edwards, with the two set to battle the points race to the end of the season.

Next week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has its penultimate hit-out for season 2011, with a return to Phoenix International Speedway.

The race will have an extra twist for competitors, with the venue being re-paved and reconfigured since the series last visit to the venue in February.

In a recent open test session, Ambroses Richard Petty Motorsports machine was the quickest of the Ford Fusion runners.

AAA Texas 500 Review

Race Results

1. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet)

2. Carl Edwards (Ford)

3. Kasey Kahne (Toyota)

4. Matt Kenseth (Ford)

5. Greg Biffle (Ford)

6. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet)

7. Dale Earnhardt Jnr (Chevrolet)

8. Martin Truex Jnr (Toyota)

9. Clint Bowyer (Chevrolet)

10. AJ Almendinger (Ford)

11. Marcos Ambrose (Ford)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Standings (After race 34 of 36)

1. Carl Edwards (Ford) 2316 points

2. Tony Stewart (Chevrolet) 2313

3. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet) 2283

4. Matt Kenseth (Ford) 2278

5. Brad Keselowski (Dodge) 2267

6. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) 2261

7. Dale Earnhardt Jnr (Chevrolet) 2237

8. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet) 2235

9. Kurt Busch (Dodge) 2229

10. Denny Hamlin (Toyota) 2217

17. Marcos Ambrose (Ford) 895