1on1: Like most Aussies, Ambrose eats his Vegemite

He is one of the more colorful new faces in the NASCAR garage, and as soon as he opens his mouth and speaks you know that he's not from around here.

So Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 47 Toyota for JTG/Daugherty Racing, sat down with NASCAR.COM recently and explained a few things about his native Australia.

Roughage and ready

That wasn't a PR person delivering snacks to the Atlanta media center Sunday morning -- it was driver Marcos Ambrose, who provided reporters with Little Debbie brownies shaped like his No. 47 Toyota race car.

"I baked them myself," Ambrose quipped, as he handed out the boxes.

Asked whether the brownies contained Vegemite, a popular Australian cracker spread, Ambrose laughed. "No, it's koala fur," joked the driver from Down Under. "That's the roughage."

-- Sporting News Wire Service

Q: For us American novices, what in the heck is Vegemite?

Ambrose: It's toxic. You've got to warm up to it. It can cause you a lot of pain if you're a novice at eating it. But my little girls -- I have a 1 1/2-year-old and a 3-year-old -- they love it and eat it every day. It's an acquired taste; it's a yeast extract. If you're not used to it, it doesn't taste too good. But there is something in it that's quite addictive, and Australians really are brought up on Vegemite. Wherever I travel, I carry my Vegemite with me.

Q: Is it a spread?

Ambrose: It's a spread, like peanut butter. The English had their version of it, and the Australians have modified it over the years. Now we have our own version, and that's Vegemite. It's an Australian classic. It's really a way of life for us. Everybody has Vegemite on toast for breakfast. It's a sweet-salty taste. There is something in there that brings you back. Once you've enjoyed it -- if you didn't have a bad experience with it -- you'll keep coming back.

(At this point, Ambrose actually produces a jar of the stuff -- which looks like, um, dark brown spreadable chocolate, and organizes a taste test, spreading it over a toasted English muffin after first laying down a generous layer of butter).

Q: So this is it, huh? Is this stuff good for you?

Ambrose: It's got the world's highest source of Vitamin B. You've got to wait for the right moment. You can't brush your teeth before having Vegemite. You have to get bloody right for it. You've got to be in the right environment. You've got to have the right drink for it.

Q: What would that be, beer?

Ambrose: No, not beer. A cup of coffee or a cup a tea. It's usually a breakfast thing. (Continued)