Stater Bros. 300 - Marcos Ambrose Notes

AMBROSE HEADS WEST TO CALIFORNIA FOR SECOND BUSCH SERIES RACE

Marcos Ambrose will travel the width of North America to the opposite side of the United States for the second race in the NASCAR Busch Series season this weekend as the Australian looks to continue his strong form in the Stater Bros 300 at California Speedway in Fontana, California this Saturday.

Ambrose and the entire travelling NASCAR community will congregate just a week after the biggest weekend of the year in Daytona Beach, Florida on the other side of the country in Fontana, California. While the distance is some 2455 miles (3951km) west by road from Daytona to Fontana, all three NASCAR divisions will compete in California this weekend, just as they did in Daytona only a few days ago.

Ambrose finished in a strong 16th position on debut last weekend at Daytona International Speedway in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion, where he also finished as the top rookie at his first race on the Daytona superspeedway.

The Australian is looking to back up that solid performance to continue his plans for a consistent first part of the season to give a solid foundation of points for this year’s 35-race NASCAR Busch Series season.

It will be Ambrose’s debut at the California Speedway, yet another new challenge for the Australian as he continues to prosper in the world of NASCAR. The 2.0-mile California Speedway will offer a different challenge than Daytona last weekend, with the flatter banking and slightly smaller configuration making for a vastly different race track and car set-up.

Ambrose will also aim to maintain his lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings in California after grabbing the Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award in Daytona.

Saturday’s Stater Bros 300 carries a total prize purse of US$1,626,139 (A$2,068,090).

Marcos Ambrose – #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion “We achieved what we set out to do last weekend in Daytona and collected a solid finish,” said Ambrose.

“California is a different style of track but I think we can follow up with another good result.

“It’s really important for us to finish these early races in a solid way so that we gain experience and get some good points on the board.

“After California we have our first road course in Mexico and then go to Las Vegas, where we tested earlier this month, so hopefully things are on track for a strong start to the season.

“I’m really enjoying my racing over here. Everything in NASCAR is designed to race every weekend and everyone’s lives work in a way so that you can race week in, week out. It’s a long way from Daytona to California but travel and busy schedules are just a part of NASCAR.

“The season is very busy but I’m in America to race. You set yourself up to race and race often. The focus in on the racing and as far as I’m concerned the more racing, the better.

“NASCAR sets itself up to race. The way teams operate is centred on racing and travelling so you prepare yourself to race a lot.”

MARCOS AMBROSE FAST FACTS