WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Marcos Ambrose could feel his confidence increase just by driving into Watkins Glen International this week. What a contrast that was to the way he felt a year ago.

"I can tell you, walking around the garage now compared to last year, last year I was really just spinning out of control," the Australian-born NASCAR driver said. "I really didn't know where I should be, what I should be doing, who I needed to talk to or not. I'm in the mix, I'm understanding who I need to be off the track, on the track, in the garage, how to conduct my mornings to get ready for these events, and it's a real challenge. It's exciting to feel that I'm so in control now. I feel like I'm part of the series. I feel like I'm worthy to be in the Cup garage."

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This event last year was my breakout race, and let everybody know that I was a serious driver and that I deserved to have a chance. And here I am 12 months later making the most of that."

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MARCOS AMBROSE

It was that dizzying trip to Watkins Glen last season that earned Ambrose the comfort and confidence he carries with him this weekend. Winning the Nationwide event and placing third in the Sprint Cup race marked the former V-8 Supercar driver as a legitimate threat on road courses, and since then he's bolstered his resume with a number of strong runs on ovals. He returned to the Finger Lakes region this week not as an outsider, but as a regular -- with a top-20 position in points and five top-10 finishes to boot.

That transformation began in earnest last year on this historic 2.45-mile road course. Ambrose won the Nationwide event in a car owner by Tad Geschickter, who now co-owns his JTG Daugherty Racing entry on the Sprint Cup side. In the big show Ambrose drove the No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers, and was forced to start last after qualifying was rained out and the field set on points. He drove all the way up to third, but had used up so much of his car in the process he wasn't able to challenge Kyle Busch for the victory.

Still, it was a huge boost for the Wood Brothers team, and a clear breakthrough for the driver.

"This time last year, I was very intimidated, and that can really affect your performance on the track when you don't feel comfortable in your surroundings," Ambrose said. "I was driving for the Wood Brothers, too, the No. 21 car, a famous entry. I wanted to do them proud. It gave me that shot that I needed to get into the Sprint Cup Series. This event last year was my breakout race, and let everybody know that I was a serious driver and that I deserved to have a chance. And here I am 12 months later making the most of that."

No question, he's doing that. Ambrose qualified fourth for Sunday's race, meaning he won't have to use up his car to get to the front. And the car is a good one, as Ambrose proved when he posted the top speed in Saturday's final practice. His best lap was a full three-tenths of a second quicker than the best circuit turned by Jimmie Johnson, who was second-fastest in the session.

(Note: Ambrose led both practices Saturday. Practice 2 | Practice 3)

Ambrose is no longer an outsider -- he's a favorite.

"It's easy to get carried away with the hype of trying to win the race, but we've had a really good year so far in the Sprint Cup side," he said. "... If we just do the fundamentals well and put ourselves in contention with 20 or 30 laps to go, then you never know what is possible. For me, we expect to do well if we finish the race, but first of all you've got to make it to the finish. For me, it's about managing expectation and not letting the enthusiasm of trying to win impact our performance."

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