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Australia's Marcos Ambrose might want to keep an eye in his mirror for another driver from Down Under. That's because his countryman, Owen Kelly, will attempt to qualify the Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen this weekend.
And the 36-year old Kelly has racing experience in the slightly comparable V-8 Supercar cars which race in countries like Australia. Another Aussie, Andrew Dickeson, will be reunited with Kelly (from the V-8 days) as the Phoenix Racing Team's engineer.
“It's a big weekend for the Australian motorsport industry as a whole,” said Dickeson. “It's been six years since we worked together and I'm pretty proud to be a part of this story.
“It's just funny how our paths have crossed again,” he continued. “Looking back at those days with Owen in V8 Supercars, (car owner) Terry (Wyhoon) was a huge supporter and encouraged me to come over to the States and give it a go.
“As Owen will testify, it's no different in my shoes as it is in his. The hardest part is getting in the door for that interview, when you get the opportunity, it's up to you to make that impression and grab it with both hands.”
For Kelly, having an Australian in his corner in his step-up to the big stage adds an air of familiarity to his surrounds, which will make the challenge slightly less daunting.
“Andrew is a great guy and we get on extremely well. When you hear a familiar accent around the garage, it just makes the transition so much easier,” explained Kelly. “Andrew's an excitable character and to see how much it means to him spurs me on even more.”
Kelly has been with the team preparing for two weeks, joining them just prior to the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis, when AJ Allmendinger drove the Hendrick-built #51 to 22nd.
The car the Kelly will drive finished third at Sonoma last year with Kurt Busch behind the wheel.
Although Kelly is racing for a position and not points he knows that he shouldn't be a spoiler. “Obviously, I'm tremendously excited to be realizing a long held dream to have my name added to those that have started a NASCAR Sprint Cup race," said Kelly - who finished fourth in a Nationwide Series race at Road America earlier this year. "I am realistic with where we are going to be. I want to finish on the lead lap and do a good job for the team. If we can generate a result out of that it will be fantastic.
“The NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship is getting down to an interesting point now and the boys will be battling hard - I don't want to be the guy that ruins someone else's Championship.
“There are some of the best racers anywhere in the world that I'll be racing against this weekend, so to be on the same track with them in the NASCAR Sprint Cup is a huge moment.”
With Kelly in the race that would mean there will be four foreign born drivers in the race including Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia, and Max Papis, substituting for the injured Tony Stewart from Italy.
And the 36-year old Kelly has racing experience in the slightly comparable V-8 Supercar cars which race in countries like Australia. Another Aussie, Andrew Dickeson, will be reunited with Kelly (from the V-8 days) as the Phoenix Racing Team's engineer.
“It's a big weekend for the Australian motorsport industry as a whole,” said Dickeson. “It's been six years since we worked together and I'm pretty proud to be a part of this story.
“It's just funny how our paths have crossed again,” he continued. “Looking back at those days with Owen in V8 Supercars, (car owner) Terry (Wyhoon) was a huge supporter and encouraged me to come over to the States and give it a go.
“As Owen will testify, it's no different in my shoes as it is in his. The hardest part is getting in the door for that interview, when you get the opportunity, it's up to you to make that impression and grab it with both hands.”
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| Owen Kelly at Road America (Photo: Toyota Racing) |
For Kelly, having an Australian in his corner in his step-up to the big stage adds an air of familiarity to his surrounds, which will make the challenge slightly less daunting.
“Andrew is a great guy and we get on extremely well. When you hear a familiar accent around the garage, it just makes the transition so much easier,” explained Kelly. “Andrew's an excitable character and to see how much it means to him spurs me on even more.”
Kelly has been with the team preparing for two weeks, joining them just prior to the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis, when AJ Allmendinger drove the Hendrick-built #51 to 22nd.
The car the Kelly will drive finished third at Sonoma last year with Kurt Busch behind the wheel.
Although Kelly is racing for a position and not points he knows that he shouldn't be a spoiler. “Obviously, I'm tremendously excited to be realizing a long held dream to have my name added to those that have started a NASCAR Sprint Cup race," said Kelly - who finished fourth in a Nationwide Series race at Road America earlier this year. "I am realistic with where we are going to be. I want to finish on the lead lap and do a good job for the team. If we can generate a result out of that it will be fantastic.
“The NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship is getting down to an interesting point now and the boys will be battling hard - I don't want to be the guy that ruins someone else's Championship.
“There are some of the best racers anywhere in the world that I'll be racing against this weekend, so to be on the same track with them in the NASCAR Sprint Cup is a huge moment.”
With Kelly in the race that would mean there will be four foreign born drivers in the race including Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia, and Max Papis, substituting for the injured Tony Stewart from Italy.