Winn-Dixie 250 - Marcos Ambrose Notes

AMBROSE MAKES SUPERSPEEDWAY RETURN AT DAYTONA

Marcos Ambrose returns to the sight of his spectacular NASCAR Busch Series debut when he races the Winn Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida this weekend.

Ambrose finished 16th in his first event in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion in February, a race that was also the Australian’s first at the 2.5-mile Daytona superspeedway.

Since then Ambrose has had one more superspeedway ‘restrictor plate’ event, performing superbly at Talladega Superspeedway in April to run in the top five before becoming an innocent victim in a multi-car accident with 11 laps remaining.

This weekend will see another first for Ambrose, his first night race on a superspeedway. It is the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega where restrictor plates are run between the carburettor and inlet manifold on the car’s engines to decrease horsepower and keep speeds at a more reasonable level, generally around 190mph (306km/h).

This weekend is the fourth race on a genuine superspeedway for 30-year-old Ambrose, with two previoius starts at Talladega Superspeedway (one in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and one in NASCAR Busch Series) and one solitary event at Daytona International Speedway in the this year’s NASCAR Busch Series season opener.

Ambrose will be keen to get a good result on the board as he continues to run in the top 10 in the series standings as well as chase fellow Ford driver David Ragan in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.

Marcos Ambrose – #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion
“I’m looking forward to getting back to superspeedway racing,” said Ambrose.

“My first race of the year and my first race in the Kingsford car was at Daytona this year and we came away with 16th place and top rookie. So I’ve definitely got positive thoughts going back to Daytona this weekend.

“Last time out on a superspeedway we were looking good for a top five at Talladega but we were taken out in a wreck towards the end. I’d like to think we can repeat that form this weekend at Daytona and get a good result.

“Restrictor plate racing is so different and you really need to plan your race so that you are in with a shot in the front pack at the end.

“This will also be my first night race on a superspeedway, so that will add another dimension to things. Daytona is a little different to Talladega in that it's not as wide and smooth and a night race around there should be fun and will definitely get everyone’s attention.”