Conversation: Ambrose

Q: How does somebody from the Australian Super Car Series decide to come to the United States to race in NASCAR?

Ambrose: Well, anyone serious about racing knows a lot about NASCAR. I've been a big fan of the sport for many years. I used to get all the old Circle Track magazines, back in the day when I was growing up. They might have been two months late but I still got to read about it. I've been a long-time fan of what NASCAR's been about. For me, personally, it's all about the racing.

I've achieved -- I guess I've been lucky -- to get through in a sport like this and never for one moment dreamed I'd get a chance to come to America and race in NASCAR, but here we are. It's just been a combination of good breaks, a bit of luck and just great timing. It's just all worked out.

In 2003, I came over to Bristol and watched a NASCAR race. I wanted somehow to see if I could get over there and have a go. I was working from there on in to see how I could break in. I had a great conversation with Dan Davis from Ford Racing at the start of 2005. He said he'd help me if I wanted to come over, so that was really all I needed to make the decision to come across.

I met Tad in the process, Tad Geschickter from Wood Brothers. He gave me a test and signed me up over the phone. Just coincidences and combinations coming together that you could never repeat and am just so pleased I'm here and enjoying what NASCAR is all about.

Q: What was last year like, being 16-18 hours from home?

Ambrose: Try 28 hours. To get home to my family in Tasmania, which is the island in south Australia, it's about 28 on a good day, 29 1/2 when you get delayed a little bit, if you don't get the connections quite right. It's a long way from home. It's a big commitment for me, for my family and the people around me to do that.

Yeah, you get homesick and lonely. But we're here for the dream and we're living it right now. We're in NASCAR every week this year. Last year, in the Craftsman Truck Series, it was different. We did 20-odd races and it was a bit stop-start. It was such a spin for me to try to even know where I was going, who to talk to. When I first turned up in Martinsville, I didn't even know how the race started. It's like 'OK, what do I do next, do I start the motor now or do I wait? When do I get in the car?'

There were so many new things. I understood when I watched races on TV but there's nothing like being part of it and actually understanding it from the inside. There was so much to learn last year and even now, I'm on a massive learning cycle.

It's been really difficult for me and I'm looking forward to maybe getting six months down the road here, where I start to feel like I'm returning to tracks for a second time in the Busch Series and I can really start to feel like I know how to get to the racetrack, I know how the track runs, I know how the Busch Series guys should run, all that kind of stuff. In six months time, hopefully I'll be better prepared. (Continued)