Ambrose excited after Daytona run

The two-time Australian V8 Supercar champion is taking on the second division of NASCAR this year after starting 22 Craftsman Truck Series races last year.

He also hopes to make the field for the two road-course races of the Nextel Cup this season, at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen.

"This is my first experience of Daytona," Ambrose said after tackling the 2.5-mile oval on Friday. "It's a lot bumpier than I thought, a lot narrower than I thought, but it's just a thrill to be here.

"It feels today that I've actually made it to NASCAR. We're here in Daytona driving in the Busch car. It's just a dream come true."

The Tasmanian is the first Australian to race full-time in NASCAR and believes now is the right time for him and other international drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya to come into the series.

"I think the timing now to come into the sport is perfect for an international driver," he said. "If it doesn't work for us, or either of us, then it's going to stop for a lot of guys thinking of coming over.

"But if it does go well, then it's going to open the door for more."

The 30-year-old, who won a pole position and had a best finish of third in his maiden season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, said he is not afraid of failure as he tries to replicate his Australian success in the US.

"I don't regret one decision that I've made by coming over here," he said. "Very few guys can say that they've lived their dream when they were child, their dream of racing cars and racing the biggest and best. NASCAR is clearly that, it's the biggest and best motorsport in the world."

Ambrose will race the No. 59 Wood Brothers Ford Fusion in the Busch Series this season.