TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Ambrose Benefited From Incident

ADVERTISEMENT

By HOLLY CAIN, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 10, 2008

The biggest break in Marcos Ambrose's NASCAR career wasn't a win, but a seventh-place finish.

The Australian's late-race run-in with Sprint Cup Series regular Robby Gordon while the two battled for victory in the Nationwide Series' summer stop in Montreal propelled Ambrose into the headlines and onto NASCAR's radar.

"I think we got way more out of the weekend than we lost," said Ambrose, 32, who was spun out by Gordon while leading the road-course event with two laps left. "We got a lot of exposure and a lot of great things have happened since."

One of the most dramatic moments of the 2007 racing season, in any series, the incident drew attention not only to Ambrose but also the frenzied competition in NASCAR's second-tier series, which has a new title sponsor, Nationwide Insurance, after a 26-year run as the Busch Series.

In the waning laps in Montreal, Gordon was steamed with officials for scoring him behind Ambrose on a restart after the two collided laps earlier. Gordon lined up behind Ambrose's bumper on the final restart, spun the Australian out, ignored the official's black flag and defiantly turned victory donuts.

Instead of seizing an opportunity to take a verbal swipe at Gordon, Ambrose calmly faced television cameras after he got out of the car and offered a "we'll get 'em next time, mate" attitude.

"Morally, we won the event," said Ambrose, who drives the No. 59 Ford for JTG Racing. "All I was focused on was waking up the next morning and not feeling bad about what I did, knowing I couldn't change anything by saying something I'd regret."

It was a good decision and, ultimately, an unconventional route to opportunity.

That's been the story of Ambrose's career, which started in his native Tasmania - Australia's island territory located off the southeastern coast of the mainland - and included a brief stop in Europe to try open-wheel racing.

Even for drivers whose career trajectories don't originate in the far Southern Hemisphere, it takes something exceptional to get attention as an aspiring Cup driver in the Nationwide ranks, which is dominated by Cup regulars seeking extra track time and a second paycheck.

Ambrose began the 2007 season with the modest expectation of trying to keep his car positioned among the top 35 in the owner points. Instead, he finished eighth in the championship with a consistent performance: one pole and six top-10s, including a career-best fourth at Memphis.

Yet, Ambrose knows consistency and composure go only so far. He needs to win.

"This is the year to get it done," Ambrose said. "You can talk about promise all you want, but you have to deliver, and we've set ourselves up to take a serious crack at the Nationwide Series."

Ambrose also has earned a crack at the Sprint Cup Series, where he is scheduled to make four starts in the No. 47 Ford owned by JTG Racing and 12 in the No. 21 Ford owned by the legendary Wood Brothers team.

"Our expectations have absolutely changed," Ambrose said. "I may sound a bit funny to people when I speak, and I've come from a lot way away, and all that is interesting. But I won't have a career for very long if I can't perform. I just want to win races."

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT