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JELD-WEN Race Preview - Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

04 March 2009

- Similar track brings hope for similar pace in Atlanta

- Points position becomes clearer in Atlanta

- Follow Marcos Ambrose on Twitter

- Follow-up on Rookie comparison

SIMILAR TRACK BRINGS HOPE OF SIMILAR PACE IN ATLANTA …

Marcos Ambrose is looking to bring the strong form he showed last weekend in Las Vegas into this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

Ambrose qualified his #47 Kingsford entry in fifth position but started from the rear due to an engine change on Saturday. He then showed exceptional pace while recovering from an early race clash that dropped him two laps down.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in many respects, with the two both 1.5-mile ovals among the very fastest tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Ambrose, who will again fly the colours of Kingsford aboard his #47 JTG Daugherty Racing entry this weekend, is hoping to bring the pace he showed in Las Vegas back across to the eastern side of the United States to Atlanta.

POINTS POSITION BECOMES CLEARER IN ATLANTA …

Now entering the fourth race of the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season, the points standings are becoming slightly clearer but there are still 23 points races ahead before the field for the Chase is set in Richmond.

Ambrose is in 20th position in the driver’s standings entering Atlanta, and importantly, the #47 entry holds the same position in the owner’s standings. From the sixth race of the season, the top 35 entries in owner’s points will be guaranteed a start in each race.

Ambrose is currently just two points behind three-time and defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in the driver’s standings after three races, and in an encouraging sign for the long season ahead, Ambrose’s Michael Waltrip Racing stablemates David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip are in fifth and 12th respectively.

FOLLOW MARCOS ON TWITTER …

You can now get regular updates on Marcos Ambrose from Twitter.

For users of the emerging social media tool, it will be an easy way to keep up-to-date with Marcos’ progress both online and via mobile phone and RSS feed updates.

To follow Marcos on Twitter, just visit Twitter.com/MarcosAmbrose

What is Twitter? CLICK HERE to view an easy-to-understand explanation on YouTube.

MarcosAmbrose.com, the official website of Marcos Ambrose, has also been updated for the 2009 season, with extra navigation links now located at the bottom of the website to allow for easier navigation on mobile devices such as iPhone and Blackberry.

FOLLOW UP ON ROOKIE COMPARISON …

In last week’s Jeld-Wen Race Preview we explained why Marcos Ambrose is ineligible for the 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, despite being in his first full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (CLICK HERE to recap that story).

As if on cue, NASCAR website Frontstretch.com has written a story analysing the performance so far this season of both eligible rookies as well as those drivers ineligible but in their first full season.

CLICK HERE to read the article, where the authors points out that of this year's 'freshman' class, Ambrose is currently leading the field in 20th place in the standings, with the next best driver Joey Logano in 32nd position.

WHAT MARCOS HAS TO SAY:

On the track …

“We’ve now had three different style race tracks to start the season,” said Ambrose.

“We’ve run the superspeedway in Daytona, the long track with minimal banking in California and a high banked 1.5 mile oval in Las Vegas and we’ve run well on all three.

“These 1.5 mile Las Vegas and Atlanta type race tracks with high banking and high grip really dominate the schedule. I think it augers well for a great US summer for us, because we seem to have a handle on what our suspension package needs to be for these race tracks, so now we can start working on getting the car lighter and refining what we have already learned.

“I think we’re in a really good spot heading into Atlanta. Our team has done a lot of great work over the off-season and that work is really paying off.”

On the race …

“We’re in a great spot as far as the top 35 in owner’s points are concerned,” said Ambrose.

“I feel like we’re not going to fall out of the points unless we have a run of four or five really bad races. So we’ll just keep going on the way we have been.

“We’re 20th in points at the moment, and you’ve got to think that it’s not that far from 12th, where you have to be to make the Chase.

“We’re on the edge of doing some really good stuff here. I think consistent finishes above 20th place is what we really need to push our season forward.

“We’ve had car speed for the past two weeks that has been good enough to run between seventh and 12th place on the track at any one time.

“I feel like if the races go our way we can really get cracking and get top 15s and look toward top 10s, and that’s when you never know what is going to happen.”

Click on an image below for a larger view.

 

More Information

Driver Profile

www.marcosambrose.com

Follow Marcos Ambrose on Twitter at twitter.com/MarcosAmbrose

 

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