Well here we stan...uh, sit in my case (hard to type when standing up)...less than four weeks until the season opener. While some things have changed (the name for starters), the majority of the Nationwide Series has stayed the same.
Pretty much all of the information I'm putting on here comes from Marcos Ambrose's webpage by the way.
One nice change is that this year will be the first (in three) that Ambrose won't have that yellow stripe on the back on his car except when he runs his Cup schedule signifying him as a rookie. His first day of testing at Daytona went pretty well as he ended up 17th in the afternoon session having picked up nearly two seconds from the morning where he was 36th.
Marcos also has a new Crew Chief this season; Walter Giles. While that name may not ring a bell with people, Giles was part of Martin Truex Jr's Cup team and joined the Wood Brothers at the end of 2007. Another couple of names to be recruited by Wood Brothers are Ken Douglas and Paul Forgie. Both were part of the SBR (Stone Brothers Racing) team that Marcos drove for in the V8 Supercars so I'm guessing he'll be happy to see a couple of familiar faces.
Will having Paul and Ken bring back Marcos' stunning V8 Supercar form?
The other main change comes from within as Wood Brothers have undergone a restructure and, while Ambrose will attempt to qualify for 12 races in the Sprint Series, an additional four races have been earmarked as part of the JTG Racing (where he'll use the #47 and be, effectively, the second Wood Brothers entry).
As I mentioned earlier, this will be Marcos' third season in the States and he has already impressed me hugely with his attitude and seems to have won over a few fans with his personality. Hopefully 2008 can bring him the one thing that he came rather close to achieving last August in Montreal; a win.
Thanks for sharing the update on one of your favorite drivers. I have seen him being interviewed on Trackside Live last year, and he had a very funny personality. It will be fun to watch his progress this year.
Last edited by Gerrel on January 20th at 11:11 PM.
Gerrel; yeah, it will certainly be interesting how he goes this year after a really good 2007....I am hoping that he brings out some more merchandise so I can get some when I move there :P
klv; indeed. I can't wait to see how he goes in qualifying for the Cup races....just hope the weather doesn't ruin it for him like last time *rolls eyes*
RINGO; there is a Brit I think....I know he raced a couple times last year for Dale Jr's Busch team but I can't remember his name off the top of my head right now (think it's Andrew something though).
Well it is about time to get Ambrose into the CUP series. NASCAR sure let him stay in the Busch series long enough. My ambition is to see Ambrose make an impact in the CUP cars and show up some of the pampered Indy car drivers that got in on given points and big buck buy outs.
Ringo & Tez - I think a few can make the switch from F1 Jenson Button holds the car on the track and has a few wins, but don't have anything under the hood to get any better then 15 in final standings last year. Lewsis Hamilton could light a spark to help get NASCAR more wourld reviews.
While I am excited for Marcos, I'm worried about the quality of his equipment. I know he can race and win, but I think he needs better cars and support to be successful. JMO
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
