Ambrose Earns First Sprint Cup Series Win with Roush Yates FR9 Power at The Glen
WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 15) - Tasmania's Marcos Ambrose, driving for Richard Petty Motorsports, drove the No. 9 DEWalt Tools and Roush Yates FR9-powered Ford Fusion to victory lane at the rain-postponed Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International.
It was Ambrose's first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win, sixth Sprint Cup Series points win of the 2011season for Roush Yates Engines, and Ford's first road course win at the Glen since 1996 (Geoff Bodine). It was also the first win for Ford-backed Richard Petty Motorsports, which reorganized and switched to Fords prior to the 2010 season.
The Roush Yates Ford FR9 engine has helped deliver three first-time winners this season, which include the Wood Brothers' Trevor Bayne, Roush Fenway's David Ragan, and now RPM's Ambrose.
Ambrose, who started from the No. 3 position on the Glen's 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course, was ecstatic in victory.
"It's a dream come true," Ambrose exclaimed. "For me to drive for Richard Petty in the first place is an unbelievable opportunity ... and to get into Victory Lane is just incredible. Now I just want to get to Victory Lane again. It just feels great right now. It's just a dream come true. The fans out there that have supported Richard Petty and this whole team, I can't thank them enough. We're gonna go onward and upward from here. I'm pleased we did it clean, but I was gonna get to Victory Lane. I wasn't gonna let that 2 (Brad Keselowski) beat me to the checkered flag."
Ambrose's Petty teammate A.J. Allmendinger finished 8th while points leader Carl Edwards came in 12th - and will leave the track tied for the top spot with Kyle Busch.
Roush Yates CEO Doug Yates commented: "This is a very special day for Roush Yates in that we have now helped power three different Ford Cup team organizations to wins this season. We are very proud to give our customers the power and performance to compete for wins.
"Everyone at Roush Yates is very happy for Richard (Petty), Andy Murstein, and of course Marcos for such a great accomplishment today. We're proud to be partnered with 'The King' on his return to the top of the NASCAR scoreboard."
Other Roush Yates Engine customers had notable top performances over the weekend.
Burt Myers qualified his Roush Yates-powered Modified racer on the pole for Saturday's event at Winston-Salem's legendary Bowman Gray Stadium, while Lee Jeffreys, whose Modified car also is Roush Yates powered, took the outside pole. Unfortunately, the rain hit and the evening's main was canceled.
In drag racing, Suwanee, Georgia's Ronnie Davis was No. 1 qualifier in the ADRL's Top Sportsman class this past weekend at the Speedtech U.S. Drags IV event at Virginia Motorsports Park. Davis drove a Tommy Mauney-built car with a new, nitrous-boosted Roush Yates 822-cubic-inch engine.
