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Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented
by Penzoil
NOT
EVEN A LATE RACE ACCIDENT COULD KEEP AMBROSE
OUT OF TOP 35
PHOENIX, AZ — Marcos
Ambrose has achieved his best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
finish on an oval in the Checker O’Reilly
Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. His
18th place finish puts the No. 47 entry of Michael Waltrip
Racing/JTG Daugherty Racing back into the top 35 in the
owner’s
points standings, meaning that the No. 47 Little Debbie®
Toyota Camry will have a guaranteed start for the season-ending
Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.
It was a standout performance for Ambrose, who was
making his 10th start in the premier division of NASCAR
at the tough one-mile tri-oval. The Australian
started from 18th position, his best Sprint Cup qualifying
performance on an oval, and was in 25th position when
the race was red flagged for the first time for just
under half an hour due to rain.
When the race restarted, Ambrose showed good car speed
to race back into the top 20 and remain on the lead
lap, sitting in 16th position entering the last 50
laps of the race.
With 39 laps remaining, Ambrose was left with nowhere
to go when contact between Casey Mears and Juan Pablo
Montoya caused a wreck in Turn 3. Ambrose hit the back
of the No. 66 of Scott Riggs as the pack descended
on the spinning Mears, heavily damaging the front of
the No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry.
The race was red flagged with several cars eliminated
and Ambrose battling to bring his battered entry to
the finish, pitting at every caution for repairs to
his damaged front end. With the help of his quick pit
crew, Ambrose was able to keep his car on the lead
lap and achieve his best Sprint Cup finish on an oval.
His best Sprint Cup finish overall remains his third
place on the Watkins Glen road course earlier this
season.
With Scott Speed being classified in 40th place in
the No. 84 entry of Red Bull Racing, Ambrose’s
No. 47 entry now holds 35th place in the 2008 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series owner’s points, 17
points ahead of the No. 84 entry and 30 points behind
the No. 7 entry of Robby Gordon Motorsports, which
sits in 34th place in owner’s points.
The result made Ambrose the
third-best finishing Toyota behind the Joe Gibbs Racing
entries of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
Jimmie Johnson won the Checker O’Reilly
Auto Parts 500 to extend his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
points lead, coming home ahead of Kurt Busch, second,
Jamie McMurray, third, and Carl Edwards, fourth.
Ambrose will race in both the Nationwide Series and
Sprint Cup Series in the final race weekend of the
2008 season in Homestead, Miami in just six days.
Ambrose will be looking to secure his second-consecutive
top 10 series finish in the No. 59 Kingsford Tailgate
Ford Fusion of JTG Racing in the Nationwide Series,
while also looking to keep the No. 47 Little Debbie®
Toyota Camry of Michael Waltrip Racing/JTG Daugherty
Racing in the top 35 in owner’s
points to guarantee that entry a start for the first
five races of the 2009 Sprint Cup season, including
the Daytona 500. Contributed
by Brett Murray, BAM North America
What the Team Has to Say:
Marcos Ambrose, Driver of the No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota:
“I feel proud of the guys,” said
Ambrose.
“It's a decent day for us. We're getting closer
to the top 35 for next year. We'll go to Homestead
with a lot of confidence.
“We had the car handling really well for a while,
then we lost it. We got it back, then we lost it.
“It was a great day for us. Every race I'm getting
better and better with these guys and just really looking
forward to next year.
“The Cup cars are hard to drive and they are
hard to handle, and they are hard to feel comfortable
in. So you just keep at it and never give up.
“We got the job done today and now we’ve
got one more to go next weekend in Homestead.”
Checker O'Reilly Auto
Parts 500 Presented by Penzoil Results:
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jamie McMurray
4. Carl Edwards
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Kyle Busch
9. Jeff Burton
10. David Ragan
18. Marcos Ambrose
Next Race — Ford
400:
Where: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead,
FL
When: Sunday, November 16, 2008
Network & Time: ABC, 3 p.m. / MRN Radio3
p.m.
(All Times Eastern)
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