Ambrose finishes 14th in first Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream

ROSSBURG, Ohio (September 10, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose finished 14th out of 23 drivers that raced in the fifth annual Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream Dirt Late Model Wednesday night at the half-mile Eldora Speedway. The Australian driver started 19th in his No. 47 Kingsford® Charcoal entry and completed 30 laps to earn a top-15 finish in front of more than 23,000 fans.

Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart won the event, which marked his third time in four years. Stewart passed Kenny Wallace on lap 13 of the 30-lap to lead the final 18 laps. Clint Bowyer finished second, Kyle Busch was third, Ryan Newman was fourth and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five. Ambrose’s teammate David Reutimann finished seventh in the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine after starting 18th.

“It was amazing to see how many fans Tony Stewart packed into Eldora and I had a blast racing in my first Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream,” Ambrose said. “All the drivers take it really seriously and everyone wants to try and do well there. You get a lot of people who tune in and buy HBO’s Pay-Per-View for the race. It raises over US$1 million for Tony's charities and this year it was supporting the army-themed charities, so it was for a great cause and I was really excited to be included in it. I hope Tony let’s me come back next year. It was just incredible. I can see why he loves the place. It's pretty select territory and you've got to get invited by one of the best drivers in the Sprint Cup Series, so it was just great to be part of it.”

Before the start of the 30-lap feature, Ambrose was able to make a few hot laps prior to lining up for his heat race. There were three heats leading up to the feature and his group included Jimmie Johnson, Robby Gordon, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader, Kevin Harvick and Red Farmer.

“I got into the fence in Turn 3 there in the heat race and just damaged the lower control arm so we had to fix that and start at the back for the feature,” said Ambrose.

Once the fifth annual Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream kicked off, there were two leaders. Kenny Wallace led laps 1-12 and Stewart led the rest. There were four cautions and on Lap 13, Ambrose made a great move to save his car from a big accident ahead in Turn 3. He threw his Kingsford® Charcoal car sideways and was able to stop it from sliding into Kenny Schrader, Robby Gordon, Casey Mears and Joey Logano that crashed right in front of him.
“I just stayed out of trouble and learned a lot and had a lot of fun,” Ambrose said.

As the race continued, Ambrose began to get a good feel for racing on dirt. “By the end of the race I started to feel a lot more comfortable running up against the fence around the outside and gained a lot of speed,” Ambrose said. “It went great and I can't complain.”“It's a tough field and a lot of these guys have grown up doing this kind of racing. I felt pretty vulnerable out there in the heats and in qualifying and just didn't know where I should and shouldn't be on the race track and what I should be doing,” continued Ambrose. “By the end I was feeling pretty good about it and I'm looking forward to getting the chance to do it again.”
Ambrose went on to finish 14th and learned a great deal about his first dirt race in a Late Model.

“Well, you've pretty much got to turn right to go left and you use the throttle to steer it and the brake to turn it into the corner,” Ambrose said. “It's just a very foreign world and the more the car moves around the more in control you are. I guess it's a bit like a driving a rally car; you've got to run them sideways to really have control. So it was a blast. The cars are not easy to drive. They have over 850 horsepower and they're pretty light. It keeps you busy for the entire race.”

The 33-year-old will be just as busy Saturday night for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. Live coverage from Richmond International Raceway begins on Saturday, September 12th on ABC at 7 p.m. ET and MRN Radio.

Results Wednesday of the Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream Dirt Late Model event September 9 at the half-mile Eldora Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (6) Tony Stewart, 30
2. (1) Clint Bowyer, 30
3. (3) Kyle Busch, 30
4. (4) Ryan Newman, 30
5. (11) Matt Kenseth, 30
6. (15) Cruz Pedregon, 30
7. (18) David Reutimann, 30
8. (9) Aric Almirola, 30
9. (8) Kasey Kahne, 30
10. (10) Jimmie Johnson, 30
11. (17) Kevin Harvick, 30
12. (12) Brian Vickers, 30
13. (23) Ron Capps, 30
14. (19) Marcos Ambrose, 30
15. (20) Casey Mears, 29
16. (22) Red Farmer, 27
17. (2) Kenny Wallace, 20, Mechanical
18. (7) Robby Gordon, 12, Accident T3
19. (14) Ken Schrader, 12, Accident T3
20. (13) Joey Logano, 12, Accident T3
21. (21) Ray Evernham, 2, Accident T1
22. (16) A.J. Allmendinger, 0, Accident T3
23. (5) Denny Hamlin, DNS, Mechanical
Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 38.978 mph
Time of race: 23:05.405
Margin of victory: 3.358 seconds
Cautions: 4 (Lap 1: Allmendinger, Accident T3; Lap 3: Evernham, Accident T1; Lap 13: Schrader, Gordon, Mears, Logano and Ambrose, Accident T3; Lap 20: Mears, Spin T2)
Lead changes: 2 among 2 drivers
Lap leaders: Wallace 1-12, Stewart 13-30
Attendance: More than 23,000
Broadcast: HBO Pay-Per-View

Ambrose Braces Himself for National Dirt Debut in the No. 47 Kingsford Late Model at Eldora Speedway before Cup Race at Richmond

CORNELIUS, N.C. (September 8, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose, who hails from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, is doing something he has never done before on Wednesday and that is making a stop in Rossburg, Ohio for his first trip to the half-mile, high-banked dirt oval known as Eldora Speedway.

Ambrose will compete in the Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series invades Richmond International Raceway this weekend thanks to an invitation from two-time Cup champion and Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart.

Ambrose is racing the No. 47 Kingsford® Charcoal dirt Late Model fielded by Twin Oaks Racing and owned by Bob Straight in the fifth annual event that has an all-star cast with drivers, such as, Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Kenny Schrader, Brian Vickers and Ron Capps to name a few.

According to Ambrose, to be personally invited by Stewart is a privilege and it is also an honor to race for such a great cause that supports four-military-themed charities. Proceeds from HBO Pay-Per-View® race telecast will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Operation Homefront and Fisher House.

“For Tony to invite me to race in the Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream is such an honor and I appreciate him including me because it means a lot to me personally,” Ambrose said. “It makes me feel like I’ve been accepted as one of the guys. Who would have thought an Australian would be invited to something of this magnitude with some of the best racers in the business? I know I’m going to have my hands full because I’ll be going up against drivers that grew up racing on dirt and I really don’t have any dirt experience when it comes down to it. I don’t want to get in the way and I want to do well for Bob Straight and the Twin Oaks Racing team in the No. 47 Kingsford® Charcoal dirt Late Model. We’ll have a lot of fun. My crew chief, Frank Kerr, and a couple of my guys are going up with me. This is something I have been looking forward to all season.”

Once the dirt feature is over, Ambrose prepares to race the No. 47 Clorox® Toyota at Richmond International Raceway where he finished 11th in the Cup race earlier this season.

“We had a strong finish at Richmond and we are hoping to bounce back following a 23rd-place finish at Atlanta (Motor Speedway),” Ambrose said. “Richmond is a track I enjoy racing because it is a short track that feels like a mile-and-a-half track. It’s just really fast and smooth.”

Ambrose enters the .75-mile D-shaped oval with four top-five and seven top-10 finishes this season and is 17th in the driver’s championship standings. In 36 career starts, he has recorded five top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

“We’ve had a respectable season and our goal now is to finish in the top-15 in points,” Ambrose said. “I’m confident and I have a great crew. It’s a realistic goal for us with the way we have been running this season.”
Live coverage from Richmond International Raceway begins on Saturday, September 12th on ABC at 7 p.m. ET and MRN Radio.

More Prelude information:

The rescheduled Prelude to the Dream on Wednesday, Sept. 9 from Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio is back on HBO Pay-Per-View. Now known as the fifth annual Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream, the all-star dirt Late Model race returns after its June 3 date was washed out by rain. Headlining the returning driver lineup are the Gillette Young Guns: Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. All will join Tony Stewart, the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and owner of Eldora Speedway, in a battle for dirt supremacy that will be presented live to the entire nation on HBO Pay-Per-View, with proceeds from the telecast going to support four military-themed charities:

- Wounded Warrior Project

- Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

- Operation Homefront

- Fisher House

The live, commercial-free broadcast featuring 25 drivers piloting 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out over 800 horsepower will begin at 7 PM ET (4 PM PT), with an immediate replay and subsequent replays throughout the week and the following weekend. HBO Pay-Per-View's racing telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming in the pay-per-view industry.

How to Order:

The following are step-by-step instructions to help place your order for the Prelude to the Dream on HBO-Pay-Per-View:* Cable Customers: All that is necessary to order the event is a digital cable box on your TV. If you are not sure about the kind of box you have, contact your cable company and ask if you have a digital cable box that gets Pay-Per-View. Some cable systems have a short window available to order PPV events. The more specific you are with the Customer Service Representative, the easier it will be to place your order.* DirecTV & DISH Network Customers: You can find the event on Channel 121 (Direct TV) and 455 (DISH Network) in Standard-Definition. Once you see the entry, click the event and follow the on-screen instructions to order. If you have any problems ordering, contact a Customer Service Representative anytime on September 9th to make sure your order is processed and you get to see the race.

NAPA Racing Press Box Featuring Michael Waltrip: Rock & Roll 400 - Richmond International Raceway

What kind of pressure are guys like Kasey Kahne going through right now who are in The Chase, but not locked in?

“David Reutimann is currently 15th in the points. He is just outside and he doesn’t have any pressure. He just needs to race and hope for the best. He did a great job in Atlanta to finish fourth in the Aaron’s Dream Machine. It was awesome. It’s going to be tough for him to make it, but if something happens, he may be able to squeak in. If you are anywhere from seventh to 13th, you know that everything will have to be just right on Saturday night to make it in. Nothing can be taken for granted. Watching guys like Matt Kenseth struggle early in the Atlanta race and then pull it together in the end was impressive. Clint Bowyer didn’t have a good race and it ruined his bid to make The Chase. These guys are going to be walking on a razor’s edge on Saturday night. One mistake and they will be on the outside looking in.”

Talk about the track.

“Richmond International Raceway is a great track. People love the track. It’s been sold out forever. For the drivers, it is fun to drive and there are quite a few drivers that got their first victory at Richmond. It’s a track that has always had a lot of options. Sometimes when a track is repaved, there is one groove and it is the bottom. But when they first repaved Richmond, it didn’t change. We could still go right outside the wall. You’ll see guys literally run up high and scrape the wall in Turn 4 and you’ll also see guys run down low and digging on the bottom. That’s why people like me love the place and it is because of those options that you have as a driver.

“One thing that you will also notice about the track is it gets really crowded. It is three-quarters-of-a-mile in length and there are 43 cars that are competitive. Those cars are going to be arguing over space. You could easily be in contention to win the race starting from 35th or 36th, but it means you will have to make it through all that traffic and survive. It’s very doable, but it isn’t easy.”

Do you think drivers who have multiple wins in a season should be guaranteed a spot in The Chase?

“No. I think drivers have to race every week. You have to be a team that contends on a consistent basis to qualify. Our points system is a good thing so to qualify, I believe consistency is the most important criteria versus the number of wins you have.”


Michael Waltrip Fast Facts
NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will start in his 749th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when he competes in the Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va.

Waltrip will start in his 45th race at the .75-mile track. His best start is second (Sept. 9, 1990) and best finish is ninth in the NAPA machine on May 14, 2005.

During his Cup career at RIR, Waltrip has earned two top-10 and 22 top-25 finishes. His average start is 24th and finish is 25th.

Waltrip has completed 15,720 of 17,603 laps (89.3%) at the track and has led a total of 81 laps in competition.

Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, the NAPA team is 32nd in the owner points standings. The NAPA is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday night’s race.

EVENT FACTS
Race: 26 of 36
Rock & Roll 400
Richmond Intl Raceway
Length: .75 mile-oval
Distance: 400 laps/300 miles
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Radio: MRN; Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Ch. 128
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Pole: Kyle Busch

NOTABLES
Cup Qualifying
Fri., Sept. 11 at 5:30 p.m.
ESPN 2

Cup Practices
Fri., Sept. 11 at 12 p.m.
SPEED
&
Fri., Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.
ESPN 2

This Week in NASCAR
Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m.
Only on SPEED

All Times Eastern

2009 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW
Ryan Langley Front Tire Changer
**Eric Wakeland Front Tire Carrier
Tony Cardamone Jack Man
Mike Ellershaw Rear Tire Changer
**Don Marvel Rear Tire Carrier
Art Harris Gasman
Shawn Soules Catch Can
Ron Otto Eighth Man
Craig Harper Gas Runner
Mark Maloney Second Gas Can
** crew member change

To access the NAPA Racing media guide online, please visit: www.napasponsorship.com

Brian Campbell Named Honorary Pit Crew Member

HAMPTON, Ga. – It will never be the same according to Brian Campbell. A race fan for as long as he can remember, Campbell never expected the treatment he received on Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he was a guest of NAPA and Michael Waltrip Racing. Campbell was given the prestigious honor of being a member of the NAPA AUTO PARTS pit crew.

Campbell, of Marietta, Ga., is the CFO and CEO of D.W. Campbell, Inc. His company boasts five full-service Goodyear dealerships in the area. The company was started 25 years ago by his father. Campbell believes the business has been in his blood since the day he was born.

Now, working for the company for over 15 years, he appreciates all the great working relationships he has including NAPA.

“NAPA always has everything we need in stock and delivers everything on time. NAPA has been there for us whenever we needed them. If we’ve had problems, they have corrected the issue and honored all the warranty claims. They have been great to work with and a great company to have standing behind us.”

Campbell’s day started when he arrived just in time for Michael Waltrip’s appearance at the NAPA Race Day Experience. The two-time Daytona 500 champion presented him with an autographed crew shirt in front of a packed house. From there, Campbell was taken to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage area where he got a personal tour of the garage, NAPA team hauler and pit road by Michael Waltrip Racing’s Rick Wainright. He joined the NAPA team for dinner and then headed out to pit road to participate in pre-race activities.

“This has been a fantastic day for me,” said Campbell. “I got to see a lot of parts in the racing business that I never knew existed. The inspection process and all the things that go into getting a car ready for a race are just amazing. A lot of good people are needed to make a race car go fast.

“Also, I was impressed with the inventory the NAPA team has on their truck including a secondary car that’s ready to go. I have never seen so much efficiency.”

The highlight of his night besides watching the race from the NAPA pit box was seeing his name on the c-post of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota.

“That was really something else,” he smiled. “I have taken many pictures of it and I am looking forward to sharing them with my friends and family. That’s one thing I know that doesn’t happen very often. I don’t think anyone I know can say the same thing I can … I have had my name on Michael Waltrip’s NAPA AUTO PARTS car.

“It has been a great honor and experience. I am so fortunate that NAPA chose me. I hope my relationship with NAPA continues to grow and hopefully, we will be invited back again.”

This season at 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup events where NAPA is hosting its popular Race Day Experience, a guest will be chosen based on different criteria determined by the NAPA management from that region. The Honorary Pit Crew Member program will take place at upcoming hospitality events at Richmond International Raceway (September 12), Kansas Speedway (October 4), Texas Motor Speedway (November 8) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (November 22).

Ambrose Finishes 23rd at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Griffin, Ga. (September 8, 2009) – Marcos Ambrose finished 23rd in his No. 47 Clorox® Toyota Camry after starting 11th at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday night. Ambrose has finished inside the top-25 18 times this season and his JTG-Daugherty Racing team is currently 17th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ownership championship standings following 25 races.

It was not the kind of night Ambrose hoped for as he had his hands full with an extremely loose car at the start of the 325-lap event. As he paced himself and tried to hold on to a top 15 position his No. 47 Clorox® Toyota Camry had no grip and was on the verge of spinning out.

“The car just kept getting looser,” Ambrose said.

As Kerr discussed anticipated changes for their first stop, the JTG-Daugherty Racing team caught a break when the first of nine cautions occurred at Lap 36 for the No. 77 car of Sam Hornish Jr. spinning out in Turn 4. Kerr called Ambrose to pit road for four tires, rubbers in the right rear, a round down on the track bar and a packer out of the left front to tighten up the Clorox® Camry.

Leaving pit road Ambrose was scored in 27th place as he took the green flag on Lap 46. With the next caution coming out at Lap 60, Ambrose reported to Kerr that he was still really free. “It had no forward drive,” Ambrose said.

The JTG-Daugherty Racing crew went to work changing four tires, going down a half turn on the track bar and more necessary changes like a packer in the right front. Ambrose restarted from the tail end of the longest line after NASCAR ruled the team lost control of the front right side tire even though it made it to the wall safely. Ambrose restarted 31st on Lap 64.

After all the changes, the car still had no forward drive. Kerr called Ambrose onto pit road at Lap 83 and again at Lap 106 for major adjustments because the car was way too loose and hitting the ground.

“It was worse and we needed a big change,” Ambrose said. “I couldn’t run up top because it was unstable.”

Restarting 25th on Lap 108, the condition of the Clorox® Toyota was still the same and did not seem to adhere to all the changes that were made. A debris caution at Lap 131 allowed the crew to put a round in the left rear and go down on air and change four tires. They needed a basic stop for track position. When the green flag waved, Ambrose was 18th.

At Lap 185, Ambrose headed to pit road once again as green flag pit stops began. With the car remaining loose, the pit crew bolted on four tires and made a wedge adjustment. Only 15 laps later the No. 48 Lowe’s car of Jimmie Johnson spun in Turn 2 bringing out the sixth caution of the race. Ambrose was immediately on pit road for the team to tighten up his Toyota Camry.

“At one point and time the car was coming back to us,” Ambrose said. “But, at that moment it was spinning out. The track was cooler and the car was just way to loose.”

While running in the top 20, Ambrose made more stops at laps 248 and 306.

“It continued to have no grip and was spinning out,” Ambrose said. “The guys did everything they could and the car just didn’t seem to respond to all the changes. They never gave up and kept working hard at it.”

The JTG-Daugherty team went on to finish 23rd in the 25th race of the season. Ambrose completed 324 of 325 laps.

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Richmond International Raceway. Live coverage of the event on Saturday, September 12th on ABC begins at 7 p.m. ET and MRN Radio.

Waltrip Disappointed After a Tough Night in Atlanta

HAMPTON, GA. – It was another mixed bag of results for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) during Sunday night’s running of the Atlanta 500 at one of Waltrip’s favorite places and home track for sponsor NAPA AUTO PARTS -- the Atlanta Motor Speedway. MWR’s top finisher was Chase contender David Reutimann. He earned his eighth top-10 finish of the season with a fourth-place result and moved up one position in the points to 15th. As for Waltrip and his new crew chief Gene Nead, they had a good start to the weekend but had a tough race and finished 32nd. As for JTG-Daugherty Racing’s Marcos Ambrose, he crossed the finish line in 23rd place.

“I hate that we had a tough night,” said Waltrip after the race as his team remains 32nd in the NASCAR owner points standings. “We had a good Friday and a bad day today. I appreciate how Gene jumped right in and meshed with the guys immediately. They worked hard, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the job done. We made changes to the car throughout the race, but it didn’t work out. Atlanta is one of my favorite tracks and I know how to run well. We just didn’t find the right combination for my NAPA Toyota. It was so hard to drive. Right now, it’s all about getting as many points as we can to put the 55 car in a good position for Martin (Truex) next season.”

On the pole for the Atlanta 500 was the man who will be behind the wheel of the No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota next season for MWR, Martin Truex Jr. It was his second pole of the season and third of his career. He went on to lead the most laps of the race – 68. As for his future car owner, Waltrip had a good qualifying effort. He lined up 19th for the event.

During the opening laps of the 325-lap event, Waltrip’s NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota was competitive especially on the longer race runs. But over the course of the race, the handling went drastically away. The NAPA team and their new leader rallied behind their driver to try and improve the car as it was inconsistent going from extremely loose to tight. Stops for changes were completed on laps 38, 61, 83,107, 132, 182, 203, 248 and 271. Spring rubber, track bar, wedge and air pressure adjustments were all in the mix to fix the No. 55 Toyota. Despite their hard work and determination, it produced a 32nd-place result.

Meanwhile, Kasey Kahne took advantage of the final restart of the night to overtake Kevin Harvick to score his second win of the season. Finishing behind Kahne to round out the top-10 finishers were Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Reutimann, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle.


Next Saturday night the NAPA Racing team competes in the Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. It’s the final race in the Chase before the field of 12 is set for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup playoff. Broadcast coverage of the race gets underway on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ABC. It can also be heard on Sirius XM Satellite Radio and MRN.

Atlanta 500 Unofficial Results:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2009/25/data/results_unofficial.html

Atlanta 500 Lap By Lap:
http://www.nascar.com/2009/races/lapbylap/09/06/lap.by.lap.atlanta2/index.html