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Storm Brewing as Ambrose, Kingsford Head to Richmond

Friday September 5, 2008

 

RICHMOND, Va. – The forecast for Friday night’s Emerson 250 at the Richmond International Raceway calls for rain – lots of rain as the Atlantic storm named Hanna makes a sweep along the Eastern seaboard.

Marcos Ambrose and the No. 59 Kingsford with Hickory Ford are prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store for JTG Daugherty Racing.

“Of course, our biggest concern is the safety and welfare of everyone in the storm’s path,” Ambrose said. “We will come to Richmond ready to race. This race team is prepared for just about anything you can throw at it. We will race if the conditions allow. If not we will wait. And if necessary, we will do what we can to help.”

Ambrose heads to the popular three-quarter-mile track ranked 10th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings. With eight races remaining, he’s on track to fulfill the team’s season-long goal to be included in the season-ending awards banquet.

“This team has come so far this year, it’s really amazing,” said crew chief Gary Cogswell. “We’re not the same team we were six months ago. We were 15th last week at California and I think we accepted that with mixed feelings. We’re a Top-10 team, so anything outside the Top 10 isn’t what we want. At the same time, it’s a lot better than we were six months ago.”

If rain hits Richmond on Friday as expected, it could wash out practice and qualifying. That means teams will have to rely on past notes and experience to create a setup for the race.

“Challenges like that really define a team,” Ambrose said. “Racing without any practice is really tough on a crew chief because everything is an educated guess. We’ve been good off the truck more often than not, so I’m not too concerned. We should be in good shape no matter what happens.”

Ambrose echoed the concerns of speedway officials, saying fans should pay attention to alerts issued by the Richmond International Raceway and NASCAR. The track said it would monitor the position of the storm all week to make sure fans aren’t threatened by any danger.

“We all need to be smart and be careful,” Ambrose said. “Hopefully we can create our own little bit of turbulence on the racetrack. That’s really the best place for it, after all.”

FAST & FUN FACTS:

- Ambrose is 10th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings with five Top-10 finishes – and one win – in 27 starts for JTG Daugherty Racing.

- Ambrose has finished in the Top 20 in 12 of the last 13 Nationwide Series races.

- Ambrose has three career starts at the Richmond International Raceway, including a career-best 17th-place starting spot last May and a career-best 15th-place finish last September.

- Kingsford has the longest current-running sponsor relationship with the same Nationwide Series team, dating back to the 1998 season.

- Ambrose is a two-time Ford V8 Supercar Series champion, a road-racing series in Australia. He won 27 races in that series.

- Ambrose will make 12 selected appearances in the Sprint Cup Series this season, including four starts for JTG Daugherty Racing. His next scheduled start is the Camping World RV 400 on Sept. 21.

RACE INFORMATION:

What – Emerson 250 Nationwide Series race

When – Friday, Sept. 5, 8 p.m. ET

Where – Richmond International Raceway

Networks – ESPN2, Sirius Satellite Channel 128

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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Ren Jonsin.

 

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