Ambrose taking advantage of opportunity at Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. -- Leaning against a counter in a Wood Brothers hauler parked in the very back of the Sprint Cup garage area, inhaling a quick lunch of spaghetti out of a plastic container, Marcos Ambrose wouldn't even allow himself to think about it.

"Let me get the car in the race, and then we'll think about it," he said. "I just really am focused on getting this car in, having a really good [qualifying] lap. I'm going to give up a little bit to be safe, safer than I would otherwise be. I just want to get in the show."

That was Friday, about an hour before qualifying for Sunday's event at Infineon Raceway, and Ambrose's anxiety level was at its peak. The Australian road racer had been brought to Sonoma to help the struggling Wood Brothers team get their car into the Toyota/Save Mart 350, and raised the stakes considerably by posting the fastest time in the weekend's opening practice session. So much was on the line -- a race berth for a team well outside the top 35, a first Sprint Cup start for a 32-year-old driver in a young man's sport, a moment that could define a season for the Wood Brothers and a career for Ambrose.

The next hour would decide it all. Ambrose, brimming with nervous energy, was ready for it.

"I feel like I've paid my dues somewhat," he said. "I feel like my results quite haven't been enough to warrant being angry about not being given the chance, because right now, I feel like the time is right. I've been patient, and I've got my chance with the Wood Brothers here. It's up to me to make it stick."

It's been a long journey for Ambrose, in more ways than one. The former Australian V8 Supercar champion had never raced on ovals before he came to America with only the framework of a deal cobbled together with Nationwide Series car owner Tad Geschickter, who once had an alliance with the Woods. Sharing the same facility, Eddie Wood saw what Ambrose was capable of on road courses, posting top-10s at Mexico City and Montreal. Before this season began, they cut a deal for Ambrose to drive the Woods' No. 21 car at Sonoma.

"It's fortunate to have a road racer of Marcos' caliber in the car when you have to get in at a road course," Wood said Friday. "A lot of these guys who are close on the top 35 have put road racers in. But he did a really good job. I'm really happy right now."

But he wasn't taking anything for granted. "Trust me, after you get in this top 35 nightmare, any race is wonderful to be in," Wood said. "I don't care where it is. It doesn't matter. It's so hard to get into these things, and it's so competitive, having to deal with that is a nightmare, it really is."

That nightmare ended after Ambrose did was he was hired for, and easily qualified the car for Sunday's event. He did it with plenty of room to spare, flirting with the pole halfway through his lap before throttling back, playing it conservatively and posting a speed good enough to merit a seventh-place position on the starting grid.

For Ambrose, it was a breakthrough. He had tried to make his first Cup start last year in Robby Gordon-owned car at Watkins Glen, but qualifying was rained out and he went home early. He tried again last fall at Dover, but it was too close to his pregnant wife's due date and he decided to stay at home.

"I chose to be a wise man and was home for the birth," he said. "She was born on the Sunday of last year's Dover [race], so it actually worked out pretty good. I'm really keen to get my first Cup start. I think it's going to get a monkey off my back. It's going to be great."

So was just clinching it. Ambrose wasn't sure of exactly where he had qualified when he pulled his car back into the garage Friday afternoon, but he knew it had been more than enough to get in. He slid out the driver's seat, smiled for the TV cameras, and the relief came out in a torrent. (Continued)