Team Preview: JTG Daugherty
Racingone.com
Marcos Ambrose moved from Australia to the United States wanting to make an impression in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
And that's what he did.
In just his first full-season of racing in NASCAR's top division with JTG Daugherty Racing, Ambrose turned in four top fives and seven top 10s en route to a respectable 18th-place finish in the standings.
Now, Ambrose looks to convert that success into 2010 in hopes of reaching Victory Lane and making the Chase.
"I think it's realistic. I want to contend for the Chase," Ambrose said. "You've got to have some luck on your side and you've got to consistently perform and we have to do our job well. I believe if we do our job well and put ourselves in good positions we can contend for the Chase, no doubt."
Ambrose, who has two career NASCAR Nationwide Series wins, had many highs during the 2009 season in the Sprint Cup Series, which included a second-place finish at Watkins Glen International and a third-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
"I've never been a better race car driver," said Ambrose, who is a two-time V8 Supercar Champion. "I thought I was good 10 years ago. I thought I was good five years ago, but now I jump in race cars and I go. The speed is not a factor, manhandling a car is not a factor. I'm running my cars looser than I ever have. I think I'm really at the best point of my career. I may not be as good as Jimmie Johnson, but it's as good as I've been and I'm going to keep trying to make it better."
Part of Ambrose's success has come from the technical alliance JTG Daugherty has formed with Michael Waltrip Racing. This year Ambrose is looking forward to working with the newest driver at MWR - Martin Truex Jr.
"We've got a great addition in Martin Truex and Pat Tryson (Martin Truex Jr.'s crew chief) and it's going to help us really have three cars with three great crew chiefs running right at the front," Ambrose said. "I think we’re going to be a force. As a team we're going to be great. I'm excited about it. I think as long as we keep the relationship going and keep the communication going between all three cars, there is no reason why we can't do great things."
It's been a busy off-season for Ambrose and his team that has included building cars along with a recent test session at New Smyrna Speedway.
Crew chief Frank Kerr will continue to call the shots in 2010.
Ambrose will be backed by a number of sponsors this year thanks to unique sponsorship packages that JTG Daugherty Racing has offered to some of their long-time partners.
"We popped into the sport and we had a great business model, Ambrose said. "We work close with our sponsors. We intermingle them together. We don't look for one major sponsor. We join a bunch together and we're fully funded. We're real excited about it. When all of the teams around us are just hanging on or shrinking, we're growing."
Kroger will be the first primary sponsor of the season and will use the Feb. 14 Daytona 500 race date to run a special paint scheme. Ambrose's No. 47 will be decked out in red roses to help promote Kroger floral arrangements.