Marcos Ambrose becomes NASCAR’s fifth first-time winner – USA Today
By James Johnson, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle
Updated
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Marcos Ambrose became the latest first-time winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, capturing Monday’s rain-delayed race at Watkins Glen International.
By Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR
Race winner Marcos Ambrose makes a pit stop during Monday’s 90-lap free-for-all at Watkins Glen.
By Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR
Race winner Marcos Ambrose makes a pit stop during Monday’s 90-lap free-for-all at Watkins Glen.
Ambrose piloted his No. 9 Ford past Brad Keselowski on the penultimate lap and held on from there to collect the victory in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen.
Keselowski was second, Kyle Busch third, Martin Truex Jr. fourth and Joey Logano fifth.
“It’s just a dream come true,” the Richard Petty Motorsports driver said from victory lane, the fifth first-timer to visit there this season — most in NASCAR’s premier series since 2002.
A year ago at the Sonoma, Calif., road course, Ambrose let a win slip away when he stalled his car under a caution with six to go.
This time, the Tasmanian driver was able to walk away with win No. 1 in his 105th Cup start.
“I’ve tried for two years,” Ambrose said. “We’re going to onward and upward from here. It’s a proud day.”
Ambrose now has top-three finishes in all four Cup races he’s started at The Glen; he also is 3-for-3 in winning Nationwide Series races on the upstate New York track.
Ambrose became the fifth first-time winner in Cup this year, joining Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500), Regan Smith (Southern 500 at Darlington), David Ragan (Coke Zero 400 at Daytona) and Paul Menard (Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis).
Busch held the lead on the final restart but was passed by Keselowski in Turn 1. Ambrose then moved by Keselowski on the 2.45-mile road course’s inner loop and drove away to win by a little less than half-a-second.
The last restart resulted from a crash by Paul Menard, after Ambrose reduced a 2.5-second lead held by Busch to two car-lengths.
A pair of last-lap crashes, primarily involving David Reutimann, Ragan and Tony Stewart, brought out a yellow caution flag, ending the race with Ambrose in the lead.
Contributing: Wire reports
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