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Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Report
AMBROSE
& JTG DAUGHERTY RACING CELEBRATE ONE YEAR AT THE
BRICKYARD
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — It
was one year ago that JTG Daugherty Racing made their
first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway with Marcos Ambrose. On Sunday, Ambrose
drove his No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry to
a 22nd place finish in the 16th running of the Allstate
400 at the Brickyard while he held on to 18th place
in the championship standings.
On Saturday, Marcos had a strong qualifying
effort that placed him in the sixth row. Ambrose was
close to snatching a top-10 starting spot when he posted
the 11th fastest time. The next day, Mark Martin led
the 43 car field to the green flag for the 160-lap
event as Indianapolis Motor Speedway continued to commemorate
its Centennial Era.
Moments after the green flag waved, Robbie Gordon
spun around on the first lap to bring out the first
caution of the race. Ambrose had positioned the No.
47 inside the top-10. The field quickly returned to
green flag racing and by Lap 10 the handling of Ambrose's
car was loose in, tight in the middle and loose off.
"Also the right rear was giving up," Ambrose
said. "The car needed grip."
Ambrose slipped outside the top 10, but maintained
a top-15 run before he pitted on Lap 30 for four tires,
a wedge and air pressure adjustment.
"The changes were a little too much, we needed
to go back some on them," Ambrose said. "We
were looser center off, and I couldn't get in the corner
like I needed to."
Even though he was communicating to his crew chief
Frank Kerr he needed more help, Ambrose was almost
as fast as leader Juan Pablo Montoya on Lap 51. Montoya
ran a 53.21 (seconds) and Ambrose was a 53.27 (seconds).
Kerr knew they were in the ballpark if they could get
a handle on the car because at times Ambrose was faster
than the leader.
On Lap 57 under caution, Kerr called for the pit crew
to put the wedge back and also to change four tires.
"We were loose on entry, but the car seemed to get
better when the fuel burned," Ambrose said.
Upon restarting 13th on Lap 62, Ambrose came over
the radio and said they still needed to tighten up
the car.
"We were still loose in," Ambrose said.
He was scored in 19th-place as the Tasmania, Australia
native drove down pit road for his next green flag
pit stop for four fresh tires and more adjustments.
The entry was better after the changes and the Little
Debbie® Toyota was not as loose, but the car still
needed to be slightly tightened up.
The JTG Daugherty crew continued their work on Lap
125 under green again. When a caution happened two
laps later, it gave them another opportunity to rectify
the handling problems.
"I thought at first I had a flat," Ambrose
said. "So, I came in and they changed four tires.
I came in a couple times so they could take a couple
rounds of wedge out and unhook the rear bar."
Once all the adjustments were made, Ambrose restarted
25th on Lap 136 as Mark Martin led the field to the
restart while eventual winner Jimmie Johnson was in
second place, Greg Biffle in third, Tony Stewart in
fourth and Kasey Kahne in fifth.
After the service, Ambrose was good to go to the end.
With 20 laps to go, he was 23rd. As the laps winded
down he was able to gain another position to go on
to finish 22nd in the 20th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
event of the season. Contributed
by Chip Warren, JTG Daugherty Racing
Allstate 400
at the Brickyard Results:
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Mark Martin
3. Tony Stewart
4. Greg Biffle
5. Brian Vickers
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Kasey Kahne
8. David Reutimann
9. Jeff Gordon
10. Matt Kenseth
22. Marcos Ambrose
Next Race — Sunoco
Red Cross Pennsylvania 500:
Where: Pocono Raceway,
Long Pond, PA
Time: Sunday, August 2, 2009
Network & Time: ESPN, 1 p.m. / MRN Radio,
1:15 p.m.
(All Times Eastern)
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