LAUNCESTON'S Marcos Ambrose is confident of extending his impressive record at his favourite NASCAR track this weekend.
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The former V8 Supercar champ heads to New York's Watkins Glen looking to become the first driver since Denny Hamlin in 2010 to "three-peat" at the same track.
With three wins in the Nationwide Series at The Glen to go with his back-to- back Sprint Cup victories, Ambrose will be making his sixth start at a track where his average finish is second and his lowest is third.
"Obviously, we feel like we are contenders each time we go to Watkins Glen, and this weekend is no different," said Ambrose, who turns 37 next month and races for Richard Petty Motorsports.
"I just know what I want in the car, and we have been fortunate enough to get that feel in our Stanley Ford Fusions the past two races. That allows me to race up front, and I have a lot of confidence.
"Watkins Glen is a really fast track, and I really enjoy it. I know what I need to do to be there at the end.
"We have had a tough season this year, but this race can very quickly turn it around and put us in contention for a wild card berth in the chase. That's what our goal is right now."
With practice tomorrow, qualifying Saturday and Sunday, and racing on Monday, Ambrose is in for a busy weekend but crew chief Drew Blickensderfer said the Tasmanian was a pleasure to work for.
"This is a track where Marcos makes it very easy on me," Blickensderfer said. "He knows what he wants in the car all the way down to the steering wheel and shifter ball. It's just a matter of listening and making the changes Marcos wants.
"It's really fun to work a road course with him. You learn so much. He just doesn't care what others are doing. He really is the leader in the cup garage when it comes to setting up a car here. I feel that this is a weekend that can really turn everything around for us.
"This team has been in that position the last two years, and hopefully, we can be in position again."
After 21 races Ambrose sits 22nd in the Sprint Cup standings.
Fellow Tasmanian Owen Kelly, 36, will also become the eighth Australian to start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Watkins Glen.
"Obviously, I'm tremendously excited to be realising a long-held dream," said the 36-year- old, who finished fourth in a Nationwide Series race earlier this year.
"There are some of the best racers anywhere in the world that Ill be racing against this weekend, so to be on the same track with them in the NASCAR Sprint Cup is a huge moment."
