Ambrose Drops to Seventh in Busch Standings
Australian Marcos Ambrose has maintained his position inside the top ten in the NASCAR Busch Series points standings despite a tough day behind the wheel during the Nicorette 300 in Hampton, Georgia Saturday.
After five races in the 35 race schedule, the two-time Australian V8 Supercar Champion is currently seventh in the points standings.
Ambrose started today’s 195-lap (300-mile) race from 28th position aboard the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion. During the early part of the race he battled an ill-handling car and fell down the order as a consequence.
As the race continued Ambrose slowly clawed his way up the order to be running just outside the top 20 by the half way point.
While not having the outright pace to match the leaders Ambrose and his team used a different pit strategy by holding off on their mid-race pit stop as long as possible, in effort to stay on the lead lap. Unfortunately their plan backfired when a tire delaminated on the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion and he dropped two laps as a consequence of drama.
Ambrose maintained his composure to focus on ensuring he gained valuable points and eventually crossed the line 28th.
Jeff Burton claimed the victory in the race to secure his second NASCAR Busch win in as many weeks. Burton crossed the line ahead of Kevin Harvick. Kyle Busch, who dominated the race by leading 143 of the 195 laps, finished third after serving a drive-thru penalty late in the race for a pit road infringement. Series points leader Carl Edwards finished fourth.
Ambrose’s 28th placing earned his team US$15,725 (AU$20,147) in prizemoney.
Ambrose’s main contender in the chase for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year crown, ex-Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, finished eighth.
The sixth race in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on March 24.
Marcos Ambrose – #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion
“It was a tough day out there,” said Ambrose.
“We just missed the set up for today’s race. Yesterday’s rain during practice hurt us and I didn’t get the most out of the car today.
“We hung out there mid way through the race so I could hopefully regain my lap but I had a tire delaminate and ended up two laps down as a consequence.
“From there it was a case of just rolling around and making sure I got to the end for the points.
“I’m continuing to learn more about these Busch cars with every race and I can’t wait to get to Bristol next week.”
RESULTS: Nicorette 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Race 5 of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series 1. #29 Jeff Burton – 195 laps 2. #21 Kevin Harvick 3. #5 Kyle Busch 4. #60 Carl Edwards 5. #24 Casey Mears 6. #2 Clint Bowyer 7. #9 Kasey Kahne 8. #42 Juan Pablo Montoya 9. #17 Matt Kenseth 10. #20 Tony Stewart 28. #59 Marcos Ambrose – 193 laps
QUALIFYING 1. #5 Kyle Busch 29.014 2. #9 Kasey Kahne 29.242 3. #60 Carl Edwards 29.279 4. #20 Tony Stewart 29.462 5. #12 Sam Hornish Jr. 29.523 6. #17 Matt Kenseth 29.538 7. #11 David Stremme 29.588 8. #29 Jeff Burton 29.602 9. #24 Casey Mears 29.607 10. #42 Juan Pablo Montoya 29.614 28. #59 Marcos Ambrose 29.888
2007 NASCAR Busch Series Points Standings – After Race 5 1. Carl Edwards 810 2. Kevin Harvick 666 3. Dave Blaney 641 4. Kyle Busch 587 5. Denny Hamlin 582 6. Tony Stewart 581 7. Marcos Ambrose 563 8. Mike Wallace 547 9. Jeff Burton 531 10. Juan Pablo Montoya 529
Race Results for Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contenders in Atlanta 1. (8th) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya 195 laps 2. (15th) #12 Sam Hornish Jnr 195 laps 3. (20th) #6 David Ragan 194 laps 4. (25th) #23 Brad Keselowski 193 laps 5. (28th) #59 Marcos Ambrose 193 laps 6. (38th) #14 Kyle Krisiloff 115 laps
Raybestos Rookie of the Race Tally Marcos Ambrose 2 Juan Pablo Montoya 2 Timothy Peters 1
RACE STATISTICS Laps: 195 Time Elapsed: 2hr 22min 41secs Leaders: 9 Lead Changes: 14 Cautions: 6 Caution Laps: 38 Race Prize Pool: Race Purse: US$1,115,577 (A$1,422,930)
HOW TO FOLLOW NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RACES ONLINE
NASCAR.com features a host of useful content to help Marcos Ambrose fans follow NASCAR Busch Series races, whether they are watching the television coverage, listening to radio or simply following the race online.
By clicking on the Launch buttons on the Free Live Leaderboards links on the front page on NASCAR.com, you can not only watch live timing of NASCAR races, but also click on the Radio Broadcast button to listen to live radio commentary, an Indianapolis-style Scoring Pylon and a Head-To-Head Driver Comparison to help you follow Marcos and your other favourite drivers.
Click Here for NASCAR.com
The FOX Sports (USA) website features FOX Trax, an all-in-one page excellent for Marcos Ambrose fans, whether they are watching the television coverage, listening to radio or simply following the race online.
FOX Trax not only features a live race leaderboard and features to allow you to follow your favorite drivers, but also a Race Blog where fans and online experts can discuss the race and explain incidents to those without vision.
Click Here for FOX Sports NASCAR Busch Series FOX Trax
US Radio Station WYSHam regularly broadcasts radio commentary of NASCAR Busch Series events and streams radio via its website.
Click Here for the WYSHam website and click on the ‘Listen Live’ button at the Top Left of screen
AUSTRALIAN TV REPLAY Tuesday 20 March 2007 FOX Sports Three 1:00am – 3:00am EDST
ABOUT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY Location: Hampton, Georgia Track Length: 1.54 miles (2.48km) Race Distance: 295 laps – 300.3 miles (483.29km) Race Purse: US$1,115,577 (A$1,422,930) Degree of Banking in Turns: 24 degrees Degree of Banking in Straights: 5 degrees
NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RECORD BOOK Busch Series Race Record: Mark Martin, 8 March 1997 (1hr, 58min, 55secs) Busch Qualifying Record: Greg Biffle, 25 October 2003 (28.830 seconds) Defending Busch Race Champion: Jeff Burton Defending Busch Polesitter: Kyle Busch
For further information please call: Chris Jordan – BAM Media: +61 412 936 338 Brett Murray – BAM Media: +61 418 760 066 Communications Managers – Marcos Ambrose
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