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Auto notes: Marcos Ambrose takes his big chance

Australian Marcos Ambrose has a solid shot at his first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. (Associated Press)
Ap

Marcos Ambrose wants nothing more than to break Hendrick Motorsports’ four-race winning streak and his best shot comes on the road course at Sonoma (California) Raceway this weekend.

A win Sunday could earn the Australian his first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and solidify his future at Richard Petty Motorsports. Ambrose’s deal with the organization is up at the end of the season.

“I’m in a renewal year with Richard Petty for 2015,” Ambrose said. “I’m not really thinking about myself here. I just want the best for RPM. They have decisions to make … I want to make sure that RPM are on the right path and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I help them do that.”

Ambrose is in his fourth season driving for the Petty organization, and his two career Sprint Cup victories are with the team.

He’s still looking for his first victory at Sonoma. Ambrose has five finishes of eighth or better in six career starts at the picturesque 1.99-mile track.

Nationwide Series

If Sam Hornish Jr. could do it over, he would be more selective in the way he made the jump from open-wheel racing to NASCAR six years ago.

Now, Hornish understands the value of having the right ride. So he relishes his shot to win in the Nationwide series this year – even if those chances aren’t coming every week.

Hornish, the 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner and a three-time series champion in Indy-style racing, is racing a part-time Nationwide schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2014.

He’s splitting the No. 54 car with Sprint Cup series star Kyle Busch, so he’ll only get to race when Busch can’t.

His next opportunity is today’s race at Road America, a scenic 4-mile road course that winds through central Wisconsin.

Formula One

Lewis Hamilton beat teammate Nico Rosberg to the fastest time in the second practice for the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, as Mercedes set the pace.

Hamilton completed his best lap on the 4.3-kilometer Red Bull Ring in 1 minute, 9.542 seconds, topping Rosberg by 0.377. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was almost a second off the lead in third.