When Australian driver Marcos Ambrose ventured into NASCAR in 2006 via the Camping World Truck Series, it was immediately apparent he knew how to manhandle heavy, higher-horsepower racer cars. A year later, he was in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and in 2008, he made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. He has been a regular in Sprint Cup ever since, now driving the No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Ambrose has run 164 Cup races, has two wins and earnings of more than $22 million. And how did the Launceston, Tasmania, native get here?

Through the Australian V8 Supercars series, where he began racing in 2001, qualifying on the pole for his first-ever event. He finished eighth in the championship his first year, third his second year, and won it in his third year. The V8 Supercars “gave me an excellent background to race in NASCAR,” Ambrose said. “The races are physical, the competition can be brutal. It's a compelling series.”

Until now, the U.S. market has been able to witness V8 Supercars from time to time only on television and online, but this season, the series makes its first trip to America with the oddly unsponsored Austin 400, contested at the new Circuit of the Americas Formula One-spec track near Austin, Texas. It is the fourth major event held at the 3.41-mile road course -- the first was the F1 race last year, then the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series opened COTA's season this year, then MotoGP recently.

The V8 Supercars are purpose-built racers closely resembling street cars, similar to what is seen in Germany's DTM touring-car series. Ford, Holden -- Australia's version of Chevrolet -- Nissan and Mercedes-Benz now compete in the series. The rear-wheel-drive cars feature 5.0-liter, normally aspirated V8 engines pumping out 635 horses or so, feeding a six-speed sequential transmission. Top speed is approximately 186 mph. The cars are, as you would expect, right-hand drive and weigh 3,086 pounds, including the driver.

The V8 Supercars will run four 100-kilometer (62-mile) sprint races (hence the “Austin 400” name) with two races on Saturday, May 18, and two on Sunday, May 19, preceded by a qualifying session each morning. They'll practice on Friday, May 17. Instead of using the full 3.427-mile Circuit of the Americas course, they'll run on the 2.3-mile “National” course.

“We go out there and race hard; if it means bending a few panels here and there then so be it,” said Jamie Whincup, reigning series champion, who drives a Holden Commodore for Red Bull. “I am sure fans won't be disappointed. Everyone is out there to prove a point and take home that very first V8 Supercars Austin 400 trophy.”

The series has 15 events this year, with Austin being the sixth. The most recent race was the ITM 400 Auckland: 27 cars were entered -- 14 Holdens, six Fords, four Nissans and three Mercedes. Jamie Bright won in a Holden -- in fact, all cars in the top five were Holdens.

Recently, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion driver Kurt Busch and 2010 V8 Supercars champ James Courtney spent at day at Circuit of the Americas, driving Cup and V8 Supercars machinery and comparing the two. Check out the videos for their laps and insight.

WANT TO SEE SOME GREAT RACING IN AUSTIN?

For more information on the series, log on to V8supercars.com. For more information on the race go to circuitoftheamericas.com. General admission tickets start at $69. And as always, be sure to check out autoweekracing.com for full, live race coverage.

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