DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) -- Marcos Ambrose is looking to strike gold in America -- and not only in NASCAR.
The 32-year-old Australian has been steadily rising in his first full Sprint Cup season. Five top-15 finishes in his past seven races have him 20th in the points standings, giving him a shot at making a run at the top 12 and a spot in the Chase for the championship.
When he's not searching for improvements on the track, the affable driver is prospecting for gold across the United States.
"I can take you out tomorrow to a place where we can find a quarter ounce (of gold) in about two hours," Ambrose said. "We don't want a quarter ounce. We want 200 ounces."
Ambrose was mildly fascinated with prospecting in Australia, but his gold fever took off once he came to the U.S. in 2006 to run full time in NASCAR -- first trucks, then the Nationwide Series and now Sprint Cup.
"It's a bit kooky, I know. It's a little off the wall," Ambrose said. "When you think about it, and as long as you're not too ego driven about getting dirty, it's just a great hobby."
Ambrose enjoys the rugged, outback areas where gold dust can be found, as well as the research and planning necessary for his expeditions. He's used a similar strategy in his racing career to arrive in NASCAR's biggest series.
He was a go-kart champion growing up back home, eventually advancing to open-wheel series in Australia and Europe. After two V8 Supercar titles in his homeland, Ambrose knew his next move had to be to the United States to try his hand at stock cars.
"'Let's treat it like a holiday,' he told his wife, Sonja. 'We'll probably be home in six months time. If not, we'll just keep going until they kick us out.' Three years later, we're still here."
Ambrose had minimal experience on ovals, yet learned quickly as a truck racer. He won a pole that year in Kentucky and had two top-five finishes.
In 2007, Ambrose learned on the Nationwide Series how intense the sport can be. He was leading near the end of a race at Montreal when he was intentionally wrecked by Robby Gordon.
Gordon made it up to Ambrose by giving him a Sprint Cup ride at Watkins Glen a week later, although Ambrose didn't make the field when rain washed out qualifying.
Ambrose finally got his victory the next year, winning the Nationwide road race at Watkins Glen.
Already popular back home, Ambrose gained even more acclaim for taking the checkered flag.
"It was pretty big, but it's the second-tier series. It was great, but it's not feeding the kids, you know," Ambrose joked. "Probably finishing every week what I'm doing now in the Cup series is getting more attention."
Ambrose has gained notice here as well. He's had seven top-20 finishes in 11 races (he was 33rd at difficult Darlington on Saturday night) and is less than 150 points out of 12th place, the final Chase spot in the drivers standings.
Has Ambrose changed his goals after his impressive start?
"I'm trying in my head to down play it because it's not a realistic goal. If it happens, it's a minor miracle," he said. "We need to do exactly what we've been doing. We need to look good and we need to convert looking good into results on a consistent basis."
Michael Waltrip, whose race team is allied with the JTG-Daugerty Racing outfit that employs Ambrose, thinks the Australian can make a lasting name for himself in NASCAR.
"Very rarely do people come from other disciplines of motorsports, other countries, and get in these cars and be able to do it," Waltrip said. "Marcos has done it and he's competitive."
Ambrose would love to spend the rest of his racing career NASCAR, but he sees a window closing down the road. He and Sonja have two daughters, 3-year-old Tabitha and 1-year-old Adelaide. The separation from home and family is difficult and Ambrose wants his children to experience Australia.
"This racing game's pretty selfish," he said. "I want them to have a balance in their life."
Sort of the one Ambrose has between his loves of racing and prospecting. He hopes to soon upgrade his search equipment, advancing from the pan and shovel he's been using.
He's visited Sutter's Mill, one of the California gold rush spots, when the series was at Infineon Raceway in North California.
Would Ambrose leave Sprint Cup if he struck it rich?
"It would have to be a pretty big nugget," he said.
