Ambrose relives Sonoma error, still

Associated Press

Marcos Ambrose is over it. Almost. Sort of.

The affable Australian NASCAR driver still can’t quite explain what happened in Sonoma in June, when a late-race gaffe cost him his first Cup victory.

Ambrose was in the lead under a late caution when he switched off his engine to conserve fuel. He stalled while going up a hill. When the road-racing specialist tried to reclaim his spot at the front, NASCAR officials moved him back to seventh for failing to maintain a reasonable speed, clearing the way for Jimmie Johnson to take the checkered flag while Ambrose ended up sixth.

It’s a day that fully encapsulates Ambrose’s five frustrating years trying to establish himself on stock car’s elite level. Long considered one of the top road course drivers in the series, Ambrose led 35 laps at Sonoma only to end up snakebit once again.

Nearly two months later, it still stings.

“If [the media] stopped talking about it, I might get over it a bit faster,” he joked.

That’s Ambrose, one of NASCAR’s most likable personalities, a popular figure in the garage who always seems genuinely happy to be at the track every weekend. Even if most weekends end in disappointment.

Not at Watkins Glen, however. The 33-year-old driver has two NASCAR Nationwide wins at the upstate New York track and a second and a third in his two Cup starts there.

He’d love nothing to finally break through on Sunday, for a number of reasons. Sure, he’d love for his karma to change, but he also knows a win would go a long way toward making sure he has a ride for next year.

Ambrose announced last week he won’t drive the No. 47 car for JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2011.

Ambrose can’t quite explain what makes him so successful on road courses. He simply has a feel that few drivers possess.

“Road racing, big, heavy, powerful race cars suits my style,” he said. “I really know what I’m looking for. We don’t have to muck around with trial and error, and I pretty much engineer it from the seat because I have such a clear vision of what I need to do to get around these places well.”

His confidence is well-founded, but even he had his doubts after his baffling miscue in Sonoma.

“I want to win so badly that sometimes I get in my own way,” he said. “If I can guard myself from doing that again, you know, it will help us win the race.”