Marcos Ambrose left Bristol Motor Speedway disappointed after salvaging a 15th place from a typically rough Jeff Byrd 500.
The Richard Petty Motorsports Ford driver ran among the top 20 for the majority of the race, but was forced into an unscheduled pitstop late in the going to fix damage from a multi-car melee.
Ambrose eventually finished 15th after holding off David Ragan and Martin Truex Jr. in the closing stages.
The result sees Ambrose maintain his 18th place position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings.
“We had a good day considering it was rough,” said Ambrose.
“We fought hard to stay on the lead lap and got some damage late, which hurt the handling of the car, but I’ll take it.
“If we have a difficult day and finish 15th, that’s not too bad.
“We just kept digging all day and did the best we could. I like this track.
“I’m disappointed with 15th, but when you have a difficult day like that, you’ve just got to walk away saying I’ve got a straight car and decent points.”
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads west next weekend, with the running of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, Fontana California.
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