BUSCH: Atlanta: Marcus Ambrose Friday notes

STEADY START BY AMBROSE IN ATLANTA

Australian Marcos Ambrose has made a steady start to his campaign in the Nicorette 300 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway during practice in Hampton, Georgia today.

Following two-straight top ten finishes in the NASCAR Busch Series at Mexico City and Las Vegas the two-time Australian V8 Supercar Champion enters this weekend fifth in the NASCAR Busch Series points standings.

Ambrose made his debut on the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last October finishing 16th. The experience he gained during that race became valuable today with limited practice being conducted due to inclement weather conditions.

In the only practice session of the day Ambrose steered his Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion to the 23rd fastest time, less than a second behind the fastest driver Kyle Busch.

Ambrose, who currently leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings after four races, was the third fastest 'Rookie' in today's practice session.

Qualifying will be held tomorrow at 11:05am local time with the green flag set to drop on the 195-lap (300-mile) race at 3:00pm.

Marcos Ambrose -- Aussie Vineyards-backed #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion "Overall it was a good day, with the rain shortening the practice session to only one hour and 20 minutes you had to dial yourself into the track quickly," said Ambrose.

"I'm pretty please with the speed we showed, we're in the middle of the pack with a lot of room to move.

"Atlanta is a traditional track and one of the fastest we race on. It is quite an abrasive track on tyres, so you've got to be careful not to burn them up.

"I'll be trying to move up the order a bit in qualifying tomorrow, then the focus will turn to keeping out of trouble and aiming for another top ten in the race.

"This race is going to be all about good handling and carrying a lot of speed through the turns, I think we'll be able to run pretty good."

-credit: ta