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Food City 500 Report
IMPRESSIVE
RUN AT BRISTOL LEADS TO FIRST TOP 10 OF SEASON
FOR AMBROSE
BRISTOL, TN — Marcos
Ambrose turned in his best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish
of the season crossing the finish line in 10th place
in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ambrose
was on his way to a top five finish after running as
high as second place in the 500-lap event, but experienced
problems under the hood of his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota
after halfway that hindered his efforts. Ambrose and
his team stayed focused and rallied together to earn
a strong finish in race five of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series season.
“We had such a great car and we had an awesome
run,” Ambrose said. “It’s a shame
we lost the number two and number four cylinder. So,
we were running on six at the end, but somehow we brought
it home. I’m really happy with our efforts. I
mean to run up front like we did and come away with
a top 10 finish is a good day for us. I really have
to thank Tad and Jodi (Geschickter) for giving me this
opportunity. If it wasn’t for them, I probably
wouldn’t be standing here right now.”
Ambrose also credited his strong performance to crew
chief Frank Kerr, his JTG Daugherty race team and Michael
Waltrip Racing.
“We ran great all day and Frank Kerr, my crew
chief, has saved my career,” Ambrose said. “He’s
just getting me back on track and giving me good cars
and good equipment. Man, the pit crew was awesome too
and they should be proud of themselves.
Ambrose qualified 13th for his first short track experience
in the No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota at the .533-mile
oval. As the green flag waved, the first caution quickly
followed at Lap 26. Kerr elected to keep Ambrose on
the track as other drivers ahead of him entered pit
road.
Jimmie Johnson led the field to green flag on Lap 32
with Dave Blaney in second, Ambrose in third, Todd
Bodine in fourth and Elliott Sadler in fifth. On that
same lap, Blaney slid into John Andretti directly in
front of the No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry.
Fortunately, Ambrose cleared the incident and moved
into second place for the restart behind Johnson on
Lap 38.
Wanting to lead a lap, Ambrose settled in behind the
three time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. His car
was tight in the middle, but the JTG Daugherty Racing
team had the opportunity to work on the car at Lap
64 under caution. They changed four tires and made
an air pressure adjustment to help Ambrose roll through
the middle better. Ambrose restarted 11th approaching
Lap 70.
By Lap 123, Ambrose returned to the top five. He pitted
again under caution at Lap 125 for more fresh Goodyear
tires and another air pressure adjustment. His pit
crew sent him back out in fifth place as the field
took the green again four laps later.
Ambrose was a mainstay in the top five making his
first time at Bristol in a Cup car look easy. His JTG
Daugherty Racing pit crew also made it a little easier
on Ambrose as they made positive changes and kept him
near the front of the field each time he pitted.
The fifth caution of the race at Lap 188 gave his
pit crew another chance to work on the car. Ambrose
entered pit road in fourth place and restarted fifth
on Lap 195.
“It was jumping loose on me,” Ambrose
said. “The middle seemed to be okay.”
Leader and eventual winner Kyle Busch led the field
with Jimmie Johnson in second, Denny Hamlin in third
and Jeff Gordon in fourth. The lap car of Casey Mears
separated Ambrose from fourth place. Finally Ambrose
passed Mears on lap 205 and set his sights on Gordon.
Two laps later, Ambrose passed Gordon and snatched
fourth place from the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
champion.
“It just feels great to be up there racing with
those guys, passing Jeff Gordon,” Ambrose said. “I
mean, he’s just a hero of mine. I’ve just
watched him forever and just admired him so much. It’s
just a lot of fun. I’m learning the craft and
hopefully these kind of runs will help me cement my
reputation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with my
fellow drivers to show that I can do it.”
Still in fourth place at Lap 318 when the yellow flag
waved, Ambrose was tight in the middle and loose off.
“They made an air pressure adjustment and changed
four tires,” Ambrose said. “I came in fourth
and the guys got me out of there fast. They were on
their game today.”
Ambrose was fourth coming to the green at Lap 328
as Johnson continued to lead. At Lap 342, Ambrose radioed
Kerr that something was wrong with his engine. The
32-year-old stated that the motor was running okay,
but didn’t have power. Eleven laps later Ambrose
slid to sixth.
Ambrose soldiered on and pitted under caution at Lap
446 for four tires. Restarting eighth three laps later,
he was still concerned about his engine and his car
was also hitting the ground too much. By Lap 481, Ambrose
slipped to 10th place. He fought to keep Kurt Busch
behind him to leave Bristol Motor Speedway with a top
10 finish.
“The car was great, but it was hitting the ground
too hard,” Ambrose said. “It’s just
a shame we had engine problems because we had a top
five finish in our grasps. This is my very first COT
race at a short track -- first time at Bristol in a
COT and I’m just really excited with the result
today and hopefully it leads to better things. I can’t
wait to get to Martinsville.” Contributed
by Chip Warren, JTG Daugherty Racing
Food City 500
Results:
1. Kyle Busch
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jimmie Johnson
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Kasey Kahne
6. Mark Martin
7. Ryan Newman
8. Jeff Burton
9. Juan Pablo
Montoya
10. Marcos Ambrose
Next Race — Goody's
Cool Orange 500:
Where: Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville,
VA
Time: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Network: FOX Television, 1:30 p.m. / MRN Radio, 1:15
p.m.
All Times Eastern
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