DeeDee
08-13-2011, 12:04 AM
Ford driver Marcos Ambrose hopes to put a cap on a series of top-five runs at Watkins Glen…
Mike Hembree (http://my.speedtv.com/mike.hembree) | Posted August 12, 2011 Watkins Glen, NY
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Will this be Marcos Ambrose’s weekend?
Ambrose, an expert road racer, has been a victory pick at Watkins Glen International since he first arrived at the track. He has won the past three Nationwide Series races at the Glen (although he’s not entered in Saturday’s race), and he has finishes of third, second and third in the most recent Cup races at the track.
He’ll be among the favorites again Sunday in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. The farther he gets into his Cup career, the more questions he faces about logging that first road-course win.
“I’ve been no worse than third here my three times,” Ambrose said Friday. “Naturally, you want to win and win badly. But I don’t think there’s any added pressure. I actually feel more relaxed here. I know what I need from the car and what I need to be a contender.
“I know that we have a chance to win. I feel good about standing up and driving my team forward on weekends like this.”
To join the Chase for the Sprint Cup discussion, Ambrose needs a win Sunday. He is 23rd in points – currently outside the Chase wild-card window, but a victory at the Glen would push his name back into the possibility range.
“We just have got to be smart and tune the car as good as we can and hopefully be close off the truck,” Ambrose said.
Comparing Watkins Glen to Sonoma, the series’ other road course, Ambrose said, “Sonoma is like a bullring. You’re in everybody’s face all day and you have to knock them around to try to pass. You’re bouncing off curbs. There’s not a lot of banking in the corners. It’s all about forward drive and trying to pass without damaging the car too much.
“Here, it’s more about finesse. It’s about managing tires. It’s about carrying momentum around the whole track. You need to carry a lot of momentum through the corners.
“You really have to manage your stuff for the first half of the race to give yourself a chance at the end. Everyone picks up a gear at the end of the race because you have to. This is NASCAR. It’s serious business. You have to be super-aggressive. The end of the races is the most frantic part of the day.”
The day of the road-course ringer in NASCAR is over, Ambrose said.
“The regulars know how to do this,” he said. “They know how to get you out of the way if they get the chance.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Good luck Marcos!!!!!! :D
Mike Hembree (http://my.speedtv.com/mike.hembree) | Posted August 12, 2011 Watkins Glen, NY
http://assets.speedtv.com/images/article_assets/108/1085293/1085293_article_img_large1.jpg
Will this be Marcos Ambrose’s weekend?
Ambrose, an expert road racer, has been a victory pick at Watkins Glen International since he first arrived at the track. He has won the past three Nationwide Series races at the Glen (although he’s not entered in Saturday’s race), and he has finishes of third, second and third in the most recent Cup races at the track.
He’ll be among the favorites again Sunday in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. The farther he gets into his Cup career, the more questions he faces about logging that first road-course win.
“I’ve been no worse than third here my three times,” Ambrose said Friday. “Naturally, you want to win and win badly. But I don’t think there’s any added pressure. I actually feel more relaxed here. I know what I need from the car and what I need to be a contender.
“I know that we have a chance to win. I feel good about standing up and driving my team forward on weekends like this.”
To join the Chase for the Sprint Cup discussion, Ambrose needs a win Sunday. He is 23rd in points – currently outside the Chase wild-card window, but a victory at the Glen would push his name back into the possibility range.
“We just have got to be smart and tune the car as good as we can and hopefully be close off the truck,” Ambrose said.
Comparing Watkins Glen to Sonoma, the series’ other road course, Ambrose said, “Sonoma is like a bullring. You’re in everybody’s face all day and you have to knock them around to try to pass. You’re bouncing off curbs. There’s not a lot of banking in the corners. It’s all about forward drive and trying to pass without damaging the car too much.
“Here, it’s more about finesse. It’s about managing tires. It’s about carrying momentum around the whole track. You need to carry a lot of momentum through the corners.
“You really have to manage your stuff for the first half of the race to give yourself a chance at the end. Everyone picks up a gear at the end of the race because you have to. This is NASCAR. It’s serious business. You have to be super-aggressive. The end of the races is the most frantic part of the day.”
The day of the road-course ringer in NASCAR is over, Ambrose said.
“The regulars know how to do this,” he said. “They know how to get you out of the way if they get the chance.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Good luck Marcos!!!!!! :D