Q. Marcos, you’ve been to Dover before. Tell us about your first experience here and what it’s like racing at the Monster Mile.
Marcos Ambrose, No. 47 Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota Camry: “Dover is a wonderful track. One of the best we go to. There’s a lot of character to it. It’s very fast and very demanding on the drivers. It’s unique. It’s a wonderful event for us. I look forward to going there. Some days I run really well. Some days I can’t get it to go my way. It’s a very challenging track to prepare for and feel confident on.”
Q. Would you compare this place (Dover) to any place that you’ve raced? Is it like anything else?
Ambrose: “Maybe Bristol. It has a similar feel to Bristol. But much faster. Obviously it’s faster. One of those places that can break you in a hurry and it’s a real challenge to get around. It’s also a real thrill and I really enjoy it.”
Q. The Dover race that is coming up here in a week or so is the second race in the “Chase.” You’re not in the top-12 but what does that mean? Do you need to be mindful of those 12? Do you race any different against them?
Ambrose: “I think it gives us an opportunity to win races and try to win a race. There’s going to be a lot of guys out there that are worried about the points. The Chase can be lost in the first few but it can never be won then, so they’re going to drive a little more conservative to get their Chase up and running. It’s going to give drivers a chance who are trying to break out and get their first victory.”
Q. You were here not too long ago for a Goodyear tire test too. How was that? What did you learn? Anything that you use in your setup for the upcoming race?
Ambrose: “We really struggled in the first race there. We just couldn’t get a handle on the car. We went back there and just tried to get some laps on there for me. We worked on our setup and we felt really good about the changes we made. Felt good about how the car worked but you just don’t know. These COT cars in the Sprint Cup Series are so fine tuned that you know the wrong setup can ruin your day. We’re not overly confident, but at the same time we feel that we learned some good information for the upcoming event.”
Q. It always looks like when we see you on TV that you always look like you’re having fun. They could probably interview you even if you finished dead last. You always have a smile on your face. It looks like you’re having fun. What’s been the biggest thing you’re adjusted to throughout the course of the year because it seems more and more each week when we see you on TV that you’re running up in the top-five and top-10 most of the time. What’s been the biggest adjustment you’ve made or the team has made this year to keep you up there?
Ambrose: “I sure don’t feel like I run top-five every time. It’s a real challenge to keep these cars running at the very front up against the best drivers. I think consistency has been the biggest things and managing expectations. One week can be red hot and challenging for wins, and the next week you can be at the back of the field. It’s a very close competition and you have to make sure that you don’t get too high when things are going good and too low when you have a tough day.”
Q. This time at Dover will be the first time that you’ll have double-file restarts at Dover. So if you’re leading a race and the caution comes out and there’s a double-file restart, where would you rather be? Outside or inside lane?
Ambrose: “That’s a great question. I guess you carry a lot more momentum on the top. The bottom is a little harder and you can get a bit choked up. So if you’re in the second half of the field, for me it always works better on the top. You get a little bit more room to move, because in the front half of the field it can be different. You want to be on the bottom and get that track position and get going. I think Dover itself really runs on the bottom. So you want to be there. If you’re in the front row you’re going to want to be on the bottom. If you’re in the back of the field, even halfway back, I think you want the top.”
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