Marcos Ambrose equalled his best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish with a storming drive from the back of the field to finish third in the Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California today.

The crew of the #47 Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox Ford, driven by Marcos Ambrose, changes engines under NASCAR supervision during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup  (Pic BAM Media)

Ambrose battled late in the race with three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Juan Montoya, and eventual race winner Kasey Kahne after a storming drive saw him leap into contention after starting all the way back in 41st position.

“I think all of us just wanted to bring it home somehow, and you know, I really wanted to attack Smoke. He deserved second. I wasn’t going to take it off him unless I had a clean pass. I just couldn’t get to his bumper bar in time,” said Ambrose

The third-place finish, Ambrose’s fourth top 10 finish this season, came in a dramatic race where a green-white-chequered ‘overtime’ finish gave the Australian one last chance at victory, but third was all the two-time V8 Supercar champion could muster after one of the comeback drives of the season.

Carl Edwards Ford Fusion gets some air in turn 3A. ©2009, autostock

Ambrose performed the same feat at Watkins Glen last season when starting from the rear and also finishing third, starting from the rear on that occasion as a result of a qualifying rain-out and the field being set on owner’s points.

This time around Ambrose earned third place in qualifying behind Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch and was fastest in the first two practice sessions of the weekend, but an engine failure and subsequent change meant that Ambrose was forced to start today’s race from the rear of the grid.

Ambrose survived several close shaves throughout the race, including some door-banging moments with both Johnson and Denny Hamlin (including a brush with the pit wall) and a clash with Bobby Labonte exiting pit lane.

Ambrose’s efforts earned him the Mobil 1 Performance Driver of the Race Award as well as US$175,49 for his Little Debbie-backed #47 JTG Daugherty Racing entry.

The finish sees Ambrose jump two spots in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings into 18th position after the first 16 races of his first full season at Cup level. He races again next weekend in Loudon, New Hampshire.

Sonoma track map