Australian Marcos Ambrose in his 105th start has taken the first NASCAR Sprint Cup win of his career with victory at Watkins Glen International circuit in New York. Ambrose’s overall NASCAR experience began in 2006 when he left Australia as a V8 Supercar champion to try his luck in the US. After short periods in the World Truck Series and the Nationwide series, he entered NASCAR’s top touring series in 2008.
In last Sunday’s race, Ambrose started in third position, but moved quickly into second as he moved past traffic on the first turn of the road circuit. He was always on the prowl, never far from the leaders throughout the race. Last year, while leading the race at Sonoma and with six laps left before the finish, he stalled his car and finished a disappointing sixth. This time luck was on his side as Ambrose, after a late race restart, flew past Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch to take the lead. He held it until the race ended under a caution after a spectacular crash at the second turn, giving Ambrose the win as the Australian cruised over the finish line under yellow flag conditions.
Ambrose’s win made him the fifth first-time winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2011 and the 15th different race winner. The victory qualified Ambrose for the million-dollar bonus in the Sprint Summer Showdown and, as a starter in the 2012 Sprint All-Star Race, moving him within striking distance of earning a wild-card berth in the Chase. Ambrose, now 22nd and only one point out of 20th with four races left before the Chase field, is set to crack the top 20 in points. But he also needs to win his second Cup race in the next few weeks to have an opportunity at one of the two wild-card spots. These go to the two drivers with the most victories outside the top 10 but no lower than 20th after the 10 September race at Richmond, Virginia.