Times wires
Saturday, March 5, 2011
LAS VEGAS — When Richard Petty Motorsports courted Marcos Ambrose last season, the Australian saw an opportunity to further his NASCAR development and partner with manufacturer Ford.
It wasn't an easy decision, and Ambrose had second thoughts when financial issues nearly shut down RPM. He kept his word, though.
"I took a chance, and I really stuck my neck out to see if I had what it took," Ambrose said of his move to RPM and the No. 9 car.
Ambrose was 37th at Daytona, 16th at Phoenix. That put the pressure on him to step up and turn things around, which he did Friday by qualifying second for today's Kobalt Tools 500. He briefly held the pole until he was bumped by Matt Kenseth's track record.
In all, Fords swept the first four qualifying spots, as Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle qualified third and fourth.
All four cars are powered by Roush Yates Engines, which is off to an incredible start to the season. The top three at the Daytona 500 were powered by Roush Yates, and Edwards won the pole last week at Phoenix.
"We've had such a great start to the 2011 season," chief engine builder Doug Yates said. "We've worked really hard in the offseason to see gains on the race track, and I think there are even more great things to come."
Ford is anticipating a great year after a mediocre 2010 in which it had four wins, two of them coming from Edwards in the final two events.
Then Trevor Bayne, 20, drove a Wood Brothers Ford to victory to open this season at Daytona, and Edwards had the car to beat at Phoenix until he was wrecked by Kyle Busch. Now the Ford group is looking at Las Vegas as a measure of where its equipment stacks up.
"The real test is how we run here and at Bristol," Edwards said. "If our cars are that good, then this is going to be a great year."
That's what Ambrose hoped for when he left JTG Daugherty Racing after two seasons.
He figured he could have more success with RPM and its alliance with Roush, and it got him into a partnership with Ford, which has supported Ambrose in Australia and helped him come to NASCAR.
RPM, after serious financial issues last year, signed on new investors that have strengthened the organization.
Knowing how strong the Fords were had Ambrose nervous about the start of the Las Vegas weekend, especially since teammate AJ Allmendinger is tied for third in the standings.
"I am just happy for Richard Petty Motorsports, who went through a lot at the end of last year," Ambrose, 35, said. "To be strong this early with AJ running top three in points, it is just a good feeling over there looking forward to hopefully keeping this run going."