Starting Position: 18
Finishing Position: 33
Marcos Ambrose started the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the 18th position. Just two laps into the initial green-flag run, Ambrose relayed to his team that his Stanley Ford was very loose. Fighting an ill-handling car, Ambrose slipped back several positions, and when the first caution flag of the day flew on Lap 12 he was scored in 23rd. Crew chief Mike Ford elected to bring his driver down pit road under caution for four fresh tires, fuel and wedge and trackbar adjustments.
Just two laps after the restart, a two-car accident on Lap 17 caused the field to check up and Ambrose’s machine suffered significant damage to the front bumper. Ford called Ambrose into the pits on three separate occasions during the second caution period of the day and the No. 9 team went to work repairing the front bumper and adding four fresh tires and fuel. Though he came into the pits multiple times, Ambrose was able to remain on the lead lap.
Restarting in the 39th spot, it didn’t take Ambrose long to work his way back toward the front of the field, gaining 15 spots in just three laps. At Lap 25 Ambrose was running in the 21st position when he communicated to his crew that his Stanley machine was loose on entry, tight in the middle and loose on exit off the corners. The caution flag flew for the third time on Lap 37 and though Ambrose was struggling with the handling of his car, he elected not to come down pit road. By virtue of staying out, Ambrose was credited with leading one lap and gaining a bonus point in the championship point standings.
By electing not to pit, the majority of the cars behind Ambrose were on fresh tires. As the laps wore on, Ambrose began to slip back though the field. At Lap 77 Ambrose was running in 22nd when he made a routine pit stop under green-flag conditions for four tires, fuel, and trackbar and air pressure adjustments.
Pitting under green, Ambrose lost a lap to the leaders, and when the remainder of the field had cycled through green-flag stops he was scored in 18th. Shortly after making the previous pit stop, Ambrose let his crew know he was still very loose on entry and exit of the corners. The next pit stop came at Lap 124 and the No. 9 crew elected to make several chassis adjustments in an attempt to improve the car’s handling.
Continuing to fight a loose condition, Ambrose lost control driving his car into the corner on Lap 142 and hit the wall, causing major damage the rear of the car. Ambrose was able to hang on for another four laps before Ford made the decision to have Ambrose take his car to the garage for repairs. Upon further inspection in the garage, the team realized the decklid had been damaged beyond repair and they were forced to replace it. The lengthy repairs caused Ambrose to lose multiple laps and when he re-entered the race on Lap 171 he was scored in the 35th position, 27 laps down.
Though Ambrose’s Stanley machine was badly damaged, the No. 9 team never gave up and continued to work on the car and make numerous chassis adjustments during the remainder of the event. The crew’s hard work paid off as Ambrose was able to gain two spots in the running order by virtue of finishing the race. When the checkered flag finally flew on Lap 334, Ambrose was credited with a 33rd-place finish.
Ambrose sits in the 18th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into Kansas Speedway next weekend.
Ambrose’s Comments after Charlotte:
“It was a tough night for our Stanley team. We got into trouble early, and things seemed to go downhill from there. It’s a shame we had so much damage and we were never able to see what our Stanley Ford was capable of doing tonight. It’s a tough situation to be taken out of contention early in the race, but I have to thank my guys for never giving up on me. My team worked really hard the remainder of the race to try and make adjustments to help our car run better. We were able to gain a couple positions in the finishing order by getting the car repaired enough to go back out and finish the race. That’s all we can ask for on a night like tonight.”
About Richard Petty Motorsports:
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
Source: Breaking Limits Marketing for Richard Petty Motorsports, Press Release
The post Marcos Ambrose 2012 NSCS Bank of America 500 Post-Race Report appeared first on Catchfence.
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