Marcos Ambrose was encouraged, but also somewhat realistic following his recent Sprint Cup test at Pocono International Raceway. The Tuesday-Wednesday test marked his first time in a Cup car [actually Ambrose practiced a 2nd Robby Gordon car at Watkins Glen in 2007 before qualifying was rained out] and his first time at the three-sided, 2.5-mile track in the mountains of northeast Pennsylvania. “It went OK, pretty good,” the 31-year-old Australian said Saturday at Dover International Speedway. “But it was a difficult place to get in a Cup car for the first time. I went there to get in laps and get a feel for that kind of [Cup] car. We ran in the middle of the pack most of the day. Another few tenths [of a second] would have been nice, but, still, I learned a lot about these Cup cars. The adjustment [from Nationwide to Cup COT car] is as tough as everyone said it would be. And Pocono is about as hard a track to learn as I’ve ever seen. I know we have plenty of work to do, but we got better as we went along and got a good feel for where we are.” Ambrose will run a handful of Cup races this season, some in the Wood Brothers’ #21 Ford and some with #47 Ford-based JTG Racing. He’ll run Sonoma and Watkins Glen for the Woods, plus a race in Michigan and one in Loudon [New Hampshire]. “I can’t remember the others he’ll do for us,” team co-owner Eddie Wood said Saturday. “It’s on a calendar somewhere at the shop. I’m sure of those four, but there are maybe three or four more he’ll do for us.” Ambrose also will do at least Indianapolis, Kansas, Atlanta, and Homestead in the #47 Fusion of JTG Racing.(Ford Racing)(6-2-2008)
