This season has yielded some good surprises. Juan Pablo Montoya has had a break through season, earning a Chase berth; David Reutimann has had some strong runs and his first win; and at age 50 Mark Martin has proven age doesn’t need to be a factor. Another guy making moves, perhaps a little under the radar, is V8 SuperCar Champion Marcos Ambrose.
In his first full time Cup Series season Ambrose and crew chief Frank Kerr have four top-fives and seven top-10s. While he was strong at both road course races this season (third at Sonoma and second at Watkins Glen), Ambrose and Kerr have shown versatility across the schedule. He finished 10th and third at Bristol, fourth at Talladega, sixth at both Richmond and Daytona and 11th at Atlanta and Texas.
While his rookie season has certainly not been without its challenges, Ambrose only has two DNFs (to his credit those were thanks to engine failures) and sits 18th in points.
Prior to this season Ambrose has two full seasons in the Nationwide Series, where he claimed his first NASCAR win (Watkins Glen ‘08), and one partial season in the Camping World Truck Series. While the past three seasons have been average for a driver moving through the NASCAR ranks, his career prior is anything but.
Tasmanian-born Ambrose began his career running go-karts in Tasmania and Australia. At age 20 Ambrose left for England to compete in Formula Ford in preparation for a career in Formula One. After winning the European Formula Ford Championship in 1999, he did a stint in Formula Three. Unfortunately for Ambrose the money ran out and he returned to Australia in 2000.
He was signed in 2001 to run the popular Australian V8 Supercar Series. After winning the Rookie of the Year title in ‘01 Ambrose went on to score back-to-back Championships in 2003 and 2004. Following the 2005 season, Ambrose announced he was making the move to NASCAR.
After just four seasons in NASCAR, Ambrose is proving every week why he deserves to be where he’s at. He’s consistently solid at any number of tracks and genuinely a good guy (though Kyle Busch might have something to say about Ambrose on track).
While there is still work to be done for Ambrose to consistently compete up front, I think this team is right on the cusp. Ambrose and Frankie Kerr work well together and Ambrose is in good equipment from Michael Waltrip Racing. With Reutimann, Waltrip and soon to be quasi-teammate Martin Truex, the team also has a lot of great support.
While Ambrose may not get the press of some his counterparts, I think this is a team to watch. I don’t know about you but I’m excited to see what they can do in 2010.
