Marcos Ambrose won an incredibly exciting race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. That last lap garnered much needed attention across all media as some things got pretty exciting on the track.
When Bobby Labonte starting dropping a fine mist of oil, things got very exciting and unfortunately, not in a good way for Kyle Busch.
When all was said and done, when spot #1 was exchanged a few times through that last lap between Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose, it was FUN racing to watch.
And afterwards, Brad even said, that's how fun racing can be without any cheap stunts being pulled.
Marcos got himself a win and is now a wildcard entry into The Chase for the Cup. With that said, Marcos held a teleconference with the media. Below are snippets from that media interview:
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Today's NASCAR teleconference. We are going to open with Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Marcos, whose win on Sunday at Watkins Glen International, put him in contention for one of the two Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wild card spots. He currently sits 17th heading into Michigan International Speedway on August 19th.
On heading into Michigan:
MA: We've put the team within earshot of making the race. If we can win one more race, we're pretty much locked into the Chase. Keep winning.
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On Which upcoming track do they have the best chance to win again?
MA: Definitely the best track for us coming up would be Michigan, after having such good speed there in the first race. Then I traditionally go pretty well at Bristol as well.
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On consecutive top 10s
MA: Yeah, I mean, we have to be careful because we've just come off a road race. Top 10s for me at road races are the normal. That's what's expected.
We had a good one at Pocono to get a top 10 there. We have momentum, there's no doubt about that. We've got to keep that going.
But our team has had a lot of really great runs this year, we've had a lot of speed. We've had trouble converting that speed into results. Small issues, mechanical problems, driver error, wrong strategy, you name it we've done it. We have to stop all that.
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How's his father?
MA: He was in Tasmania, Australia. ... He got himself a kidney infection. He checked himself out of hospital to go home and watch the race. I think he's doing really well.
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Did Marcos realize that last lap would be slippery?
MA: Well, for me it was probably four laps to go I started really struggling with my car. It was inconsistent. I thought I had a tire going down. I could see that Kyle was slipping away. I was getting pressure from Brad Keselowski from behind. I think that was the start of the issues for me.
Once we got to about two laps to go, I could see the other cars start to slide around a lot as well. I thought, man, this race, it's going to come to us here, anyone can win it.
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Does he have any thoughts on different ways to save fuel in a run?
MA: Yeah, I guess there is definitely technique in saving fuel. There's no computer system in the car that's telling you if you're doing a good or bad job. You just have to learn from experience. Experience usually comes from running out of gas a few times to work out where you're weak, what you need to work on.
The manufacturers of the engines, the car engine builders, they're allowed to see what's happening to those engines through the EFI data. They can really tell, okay, different drivers with different techniques that is making it easier for the drivers to learn what works well and what doesn't work as far as saving fuel goes.
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Does he have any sort of different feeling this week knowing you have a shot to make the Chase?
MA: Well, sure, I mean, it really helps that we're having this discussion because we're all talking about it as a team. It's starting to sink in. We've won another race. It's our first this season. It gives ourselves a chance to make the Chase. It's very exciting for us.
We've got to stay really focused. The question that keeps coming back to my mind again and again and again is, just like I did this time last year, you know, I can be so commanding and in control on a road course race, competitive all weekend. We knew going into that weekend we had a chance to win and pulled it off. How do we get that same mindset, feeling and result on ovals? How do we do it straightaway?
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Was this maybe one of the reasons he isn't doing Montréal, is their idea they might be in Chase contention?
MA: No, we're not that smart to make a decision like that. It just really is the way it's worked out for us.
I would have done the Montréal race. But we didn't have the same level of support to go back and do that event as we did last year. So, you know, just wasn't on the schedule.
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How much confidence does the win give your team?
MA: Well, it gives us a lot of confidence. Absolutely it gives the team confidence. As a racecar driver, you tend to be a pretty nervous individual. You always feel like the world is on your shoulders, you have to really deliver.
You get a win, feel that breath of fresh air, really we're going to use that to really try to make these last four races before the Chase a fun time for us with a lot of upside if we have the weekend that we hope for.
(Editor's note: That first win makes everything you do up to that point, feel validated. When I won my first bowling tournament, it made all the 2nd places worth it. The next win just confirms why you are out there.)
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His thoughts about Dodge leaving NASCAR?
MA: Well, as a NASCAR fan, it's disappointing to lose a manufacturer. It's been great that we've had four manufacturers in our sport for such a long time. I can understand the reasons. There was a lot of talking about what RPM are doing. We can really focus on the rest of 2013 knowing what Dodge are up to. We can solidify the deal with RPM to move forward in 2013.
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On changing mindsets from road courses to ovals
MA: I think all the drivers will switch straight into Michigan super high-speed oval mode on the first lap and get after it. We're all pro racecar drivers. We have a good feel behind the wheel. We know what's going on.
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I don't see any troubles. We're all pro racers out there. We know what we're doing. From the first practice, you're really working on the car setup and your technique to try to get ready for the race, and that won't change.
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On that last lap, especially with points on the line
MA: I think that lap was one of the best laps of my racing career. I'm sure Brad will tell you the same thing. It was just a thrill to be in that position, to be able to duke it out for a Sprint Cup win in those conditions.
It's meant to be the toughest sport in the world, in racing, and it is. I know it was a safety issue that some drivers said about the randomness of not knowing where the oil was, not being able to see it. I've raced on road courses where there's been 10, 15 cars broken down on the side of the road, rubber and oil still on the track late in a long-distance race, and they keep that race running to crown the winner worthy of the day.
Definitely at Watkins Glen you had the fastest three cars of the race duking it out for the win on the last lap. That's the way it should be.
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On the 9 and 2 teams being so thrilled by the ending, they were high-fiving each other.
MA: Well, firstly, it shows you what kind of guy Brad Keselowski is. What a stand-up guy. He came over to my team down pit lane, was high-fiving my crew for us winning the race off him.
He's a great person, a great racecar driver, and a huge talent. I think firstly, being so gracious in defeat is a credit to Brad and the guy he is.
Yeah, it was exceptional circumstances the end of that race, and I think that last lap was as good a last lap as you'll ever see. To have two teams celebrating their drivers like they did, that was great. That's what racing should be.
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Does a win like that wear off right away?
MA: Yeah, our team's up, no doubt about it. Wins are hard to come by at the Sprint Cup level. Whenever you get them, you need to savor them as long as you can.
There's a race coming up this weekend at Michigan. We're getting our car ready for it. There isn't a lot of time to sit back and relax. You've got to stay on your game and keep moving forward. This weekend's race, it's as big a race as what Watkins Glen was. Probably more at stake now. We got ourselves a chance to make the Chase. We really have to deliver on that. You don't know what's around the corner.
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Does Iowa need a Cup Race?
MA: That's a good question.
I think a lot of the racetracks that NASCAR Sprint Cup goes to, they work really well. You have to keep looking at new venues, find out where the crowd likes the races.
Is not for the drivers to really choose what tracks should or should not be on the schedule. I think the track up there is fantastic. But NASCAR has to go where they feel they're going to reach the most fans and put on the best racing.
I'm going to dodge that question the best I can because it's not really the drivers' choice to decide where they want to race.
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With the pole last time at Michigan, knowing that you ran really well there last time, does that add any pressure to you or your crew?
MA: I don't think it adds pressure. It probably relieves a bit of stress going to the track. You don't really know what you got until you get started in practice, then you can start formulating how your weekend's going to look, what to expect from it.
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The above were transcript snippets from Marco Ambrose media teleconference, from ASAP Sports, via NASCAR.
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