by Lee Spencer

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June of last year, Geschickter's transporter carrying the cars and equipment for Marcos Ambrose's team caught fire on the way back from the Loudon Nationwide Series race.

The organization, which had expectations of progressing to the Sprint Cup Series at the time, was admittedly "spread thin." Equipment that Geschickter had on that truck was earmarked for the company's Cup debut a month later at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The team refused to allow that road block alone to squelch its dreams. July was a rebuilding month of sorts. Former NBA star Brad Daugherty came on board as a partial owner and the rumor mill swirled regarding Ambrose, the selection of manufacturer and where the Cup operation would call home.

Ambrose had a respectable 22nd-place finish in his first start in the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Ford at Indy. But what really distinguished the 32-year-old Launceston, Australia-native besides his accent was his killer instinct on road courses. One week after his Cup debut, Ambrose finished third in the Montreal Nationwide Series event. Ambrose carried that momentum to Watkins Glen the following week where he outran Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Dario Franchitti for his first Nationwide win.

In the Cup race at the Glen, Ambrose piloted the storied No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford from the 43rd position to a third-place finish. It was the team's best finish since Ricky Rudd sailed to second-place at Sonoma in 2005.

The following month, the partnership between JTG Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing was unveiled. From a business standpoint, it was one of the best decisions Geschickter ever made. MWR has made tremendous gains and under the direction of crew chief Frankie Kerr, the No. 47 Toyota team has flourished.

Not surprisingly, Geschickter has agreed in principle to extend his partnership with MWR into 2010. An announcement is expected next week along with additional sponsorship for the car. Ambrose originally signed a five-year deal with Geschickter which runs until 2011, but given the driver's accelerated learning curve, don't be surprised if that contract isn't extended as well.

"I'm a firm believer, if it's not broke don't try to fix it," Geschickter said. "Marcos' performance has enhanced the interest of new sponsors.

"What a difference a year makes. Our sponsorship discussions have gone from talking about missing races and not making the show to bonuses should Marcos makes the Chase. It's a totally different aura."

Ambrose, who is currently 18th in the point standings, will make his 31st career start Monday at Pocono. He finished sixth on the 2.5-mile tri-oval in June. Ambrose confessed during a TV interview on Sunday that he was intimidated when he first arrived in the Cup garage. But Ambrose also admitted the team's performance has exceeded his and the team's expectations. As one of just 43 racers that have the opportunity to race at NASCAR's Ambrose admits, "I'm one of the lucky ones."

Still, he realizes how difficult it is to make that next move — from being a top 20 driver into the top 15 and eventually to the Chase Zone.

"I'm looking at the cars in front of us and it's virtually impossible to gain points on them," Ambrose said. "They are all running well and they've got experience and momentum on their side. We just want to focus on our job and keep finishing in the top 10 and see how it plays out.

"We have an outside shot at the very best. For me, I'm going into Pocono and Watkins Glen to win it. If we win a race, things may look different. We are just focused on race by race."

Both Gechickter and Ambrose are eyeing the future. With Watkins Glen now less than a week away, Ambrose, who also came from the back of the field at Sonoma to finish third, will be considered a favorite.

Geschickter is still trying to process how quickly things have changed for the team.

"A year ago we had our first Cup race, we were a single car team, our hauler had just burned down and we had no idea where to park or where to go," Geschickter said. "Marcos made the comment to me at Indy, 'it feels like we belong here this year'.

"That's the biggest difference. We just feel like we're hitting our stride and understanding the Cup team better. Our relationship with Michael Waltrip Racing has sped up our learning curve tremendously. A year later we've proved we belong here. We're focused on moving forward and excited about the future."

Change in plans

The cars are in the garage, the fans have left the stands and the teams are off to find shelter.

So what will the game plan be for the crews on Monday morning?

With a green racetrack following a typical Pocono downpour, NASCAR has a competition caution scheduled for Lap 20. For Mike Shiplett, crew chief for Reed Sorenson and the No. 19 Dodge, the approach for the first 20 laps will be similar to how the team unloaded the car on Friday.

"You build some adjustability into the cars," Shiplett said. "Knowing the conditions you make the decision you go with your normal plan and work your air pressures to accommodate the first run. You just pick up where you left off.

"There's not a lot you're able to do to the cars. It's like a modified impound. So we plug in the generators, get the car back in line and go."

Since most teams don't make full fledged fuel runs (30-35 laps) during practice, Shiplett said the first 20 laps should offer the crew a good indication of what to expect throughout the race.

"We'll know 100 percent what we need to do by that first competition yellow," Shiplett added.

Musical chairs

Despite recent rumors that Richard Petty Motorsports would be a three-car team by Watkins Glen next weekend, the King said Sunday at Pocono Raceway that there will be four cars through the end of the season.

"We're going to have four cars, but we're going to do some changing around," Petty said. "We're looking to finish up this season (and) preparing for next season. We've got one car, hopefully, that's going to be in the Chase and the other three we've got to get squared away and anticipate for next year.

"There will be some swapping around with different personnel and stuff like that to put in motion this year the opportunity to see how it works in preparation for next year. Then if it doesn't work, we've still got time to make changes for next year."

Don't be surprised if there isn't a crew chief change among the non-title contending teams — Nos. 19, 43 and/or 44 — before the Chase begins.