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Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Report
ANOTHER
HEARTBREAKER FOR AMBROSE AT POCONO
LONG POND, PA — A
top-15 finish was ruined for Marcos Ambrose as he was
involved in a spectacular multi-car crash on the final
lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway.
It left him instead with a 30th place finish in the
No. 47 Little Debbie® Toyota Camry. The accident
reminded everyone of the crash Ambrose was collected
in during the last few laps of the August 2009 race
at Pocono.
Marcos had nowhere to go and watched as the spectacle
unfolded in front of him. Kasey Kahne was forced into
the grass by his teammate A.J. Allmendinger. Kahne’s
No. 9 machine then shot up the track and hit the outside
retaining wall so hard it lifted all four wheels off
the ground at the same time ripping the hoods off of
Greg Biffle and Mark Martin’s racecars.
Ambrose shot down the track, into the grass and hit
the inside retaining guard rail hard. Jeff Gordon,
Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman were a few others
who were also collected in the melee.
Kahne commented on the incident after he was released
from the infield care center along with Ambrose, Biffle,
Gordon, and Martin.
“I had a big run at A.J. and the No. 77 (Sam
Hornish Jr.), and as I came across the track he (A.J.)
just starts left and I’m in the grass at that
point,” Kahne
said. “I couldn’t turn back against it
when somebody shoots to the left like that and blocks
you. It’s a bad way to end the day.”
“Kasey had a big run and I defended it,” Allmendinger
said. “I didn’t think he was coming as
quick as he was. By the time I moved, he was already
there and got in the grass. I’m sorry to everybody’s
race teams that got caught up in that. That’s
not the way I want to race especially with my teammate.
I apologize for that. Happy for the tenth, but wish
I could have got it a little different way at the end.”
Ambrose’s crash was one of the worst one’s
he said that he’s experienced this season.
“I’m just glad I’m okay,” Ambrose
said. “It was a really hard hit. It’s disheartening
because we were easily going to finish in the top 15
and may have had a shot at a top 10 finish.”
The Australian driver started 16th after rain delayed
the race for a couple hours. Ambrose ran in and around
the top-15 the majority of the 14th race of the season
in which Denny Hamlin won, Kyle Busch finished second,
Tony Stewart was third, Kevin Harvick finished fourth
and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five.
He battled having no grip and he needed forward drive,
which the team addressed during a competition caution
at lap 15 and under a green flag stop at lap 46.
On lap 70, Ambrose was running 17th and was faster
than leader Clint Bowyer. Six laps later he made another
green flag stop for a half-round in on wedge and four
tires. During a debris caution at lap 98, Ambrose was
back on pit road for a track bar and wedge adjustment
and four fresh Goodyear tires. On the restart at lap
100 with Kyle Busch showing the way, Ambrose charged
into the top 15. Four laps later he was knocking on
the top 10.
While maintaining a top-15 run, Ambrose was back on
pit road under green flag conditions at Lap 129 for
four tires and more adjustments.
Another debris caution at lap 153 allowed the JTG
Daugherty Racing team to bring Ambrose back in for
a wedge, track bar and air pressure adjustment. Ambrose
continued to have no forward drive. From that point
on, Ambrose was also in conservation mode because crew
chief Frank Kerr said they were short on fuel. Other
teams were facing the same problem and were also conserving
fuel.
In Ambrose’s case, he didn’t have a chance
to make it to the end when he was collected in an accident
not of his own making and had to settle for a 30th
place finish.
“There’s nothing I can say,” Ambrose
said. “There’s nothing we can do when stuff
like this happens. Our year has been hard. Most of
it has been in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Courtesy
Jennifer Chapple, JTG Daugherty Racing
Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500
Results:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Busch
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Jimmie Johnson
6. Kurt Busch
7. Jeff Burton
8. Juan Pablo Montoya
9. Clint Bowyer
10. A.J. Allmendinger
30. Marcos Ambrose
Next Race — Heluva
Good! Sour Cream Dips 400:
Where: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn,
MI
Time: Sunday, June 13, 2010
Network & Time: TNT Television, 1 p.m.
/ MRN Radio, Noon
All Times Eastern
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