NASCAR Sprint Cup Winner Ambrose Giving Opportunities to Deserving Talent in UARA-STARS Late Model Tour
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
George Miedecke (Drew Hierwarter photo)
HENDERSONVILLE, NC (Aug 18, 2011) — Last week, Marcos Ambrose was merely a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to many. After his victory on Monday in Watkins Glen, N.Y., the Australian can now be called a NASCAR Sprint Cup winner. But to at least one up-and-coming driver, Ambrose was not only already a winner, but also a mentor and friend.
George Miedecke moved to the United States before the beginning of the 2010 season in an attempt to follow a path very similar to that of Ambrose. Miedecke began driving a late model for the notable Pressley racing family that was owned by former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Robert Pressley and crew chiefed by NASCAR Nationwide and K&N Pro Series driver Coleman Pressley.
“Last year was certainly a learning curve with the Pressleys and I learned a lot about stock car racing during my short time with them,” said Miedecke. “We had some top threes at Tri-County (Motor Speedway) but we had our struggles, too.”
Later in the season, as he grew more accustomed to late model stock cars, Miedecke moved over to his current team, Fat Head Racing, and picked up wins at Tri-County Motor Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Included in that list of accomplishments was the prestigious Bobby Isaac Memorial at Hickory, also known as “America’s Most Famous Short Track.”
“We really saw my performance pick up the second half of last year,” Miedecke said. “David King was still with (team owner) Jamie Yelton and he really helped to get me up to speed. My current crew chief, Lee McCall, was just getting settled in with Jamie at the time and learning the team and we began to bond and get to know each other then, too.”
During the offseason, Miedecke officially made his intentions known. He was going to compete for not only the UARA-STARS Rookie of the Year title, but also the series championship. This time, however, Marcos Ambrose took notice of the young Aussie’s success and offered to help him with sponsorship contacts, consulting, and general assistance from his own Marcos Ambrose Motorsport, a team he envisioned would help youngsters like Miedecke just like others helped him make his way to where he is in the Sprint Cup Series now.
“George showed that he has the talent to go to the top,” said Ambrose, who is currently 22nd in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points. “I’m sure he’ll do as well for the rest of the 2011 season and be a contender for the UARA championship. He showed me enough [at Hickory] to think we need to start planning for the next step of his career right away.
“Since I’ve moved to the USA and made it all the way to NASCAR Sprint Cup, a lot of people from Australia have been in contact with me, wanting to know how they can get a break into the big time over here,” Ambrose elaborated. “It seemed to me that there was an opportunity available to help launch new drivers into the NASCAR system, and have a clear path through the various classes.
“The UARA late model stock cars are an affordable way to introduce drivers to the bump and grind of oval track racing, but importantly, we’re putting together a program to prepare drivers with all of the important aspects of getting to the top,” Ambrose continued. “We’ve managed to get the services of the very best crew and equipment, so the focus will be on driver talent.”
George’s good fortune and Marcos’ graciousness has not been lost on Miedecke, a 24-year old driver who currently sits third in UARA-STARS points as the tour heads to Anderson, SC, this Friday night for the Slawson Transmission 150.
“As a relative newcomer to oval track racing in the USA, having Marcos in your camp is a massive leg up, his knowledge and contacts are invaluable,” said Miedecke, who pilots the No. 9 Jeld-Wen Australia Ford. “Already this year I have spent time with Marcos in the Richard Petty Motorsports workshop and trackside at the Daytona 500, it’s amazing to see how such a professional outfit operates at close quarters. My ultimate goal is to be racing alongside Marcos in the Sprint Cup, so climbing up the NASCAR ladder begins now.”
The drive and determination that Ambrose has shown during his career through the NASCAR Camping World Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series has been evident in his young protege as well. Despite two Sunoco pole awards this year, 5 top-five finishes and an average finish of 6.4, Miedecke will not be fully satisfied until he reaches victory lane.
“Sometimes we set really high standards for ourselves and at times you have to step back and realize what a good deal you have going,” Miedecke commented. “I think a win or a couple of wins is still on the goal sheet for this year. We’ve had some mistakes. At Tri-County in July we probably had the car to beat, but a personal mistake of mine in qualifying made it so tough for us to come back through the field. We’ve got momentum, the equipment and the personnel to win. It’s only a matter of time and, in my opinion, it would turn the year around. It’d be great for us as a team and for morale.”
Miedecke has goals beyond the nation’s premier late model stock touring series. Eventually, the native of Port MacQuarie, NSW, would like to follow his mentor’s footsteps into the higher levels of stock car racing. But first, he has seven races left on the UARA-STARS tour.
“It’s been a good year by most people’s standards so far. To come into this year, being a rookie, and have the success we’ve experienced is pretty promising,” said Miedecke. “We knew we would be in pretty good shape for the Rookie of the Year title, but to be contending for the championship is pretty amazing. We’ve still got seven races left and I think if things go our way we could very well have a shot at it.
“I’m working pretty closely with Marcos on next year,” he continued. “We hope to have something locked down in the next month or month and a half. It’s looking pretty exciting. I’m really confident about next year. UARA has been central in my development as a driver learning to drive stock cars. It’s great to win a track championship somewhere, but the Cup Series doesn’t only visit Bristol or Talladega. It’s a huge thing to be moving around and learning like we do in the UARA.”
George Miedecke, the Marcos Ambrose Motorsport team and the entire UARA-STARS tour will be in action again this Friday night, August 19, for the Slawson Transmission 150 in Anderson, SC, just south of Greenville. Gates open at 5pm and fans are invited onto the track for the “UARA Pit Party” at 7:15. A full slate of racing, ending with the UARA-STARS feature, is scheduled to start at 8pm.
For more information on the UARA, visit www.uara-stars.com.