Richard Petty Motorsports announced the #9 team will move forward with a new driver in 2015. Marcos Ambrose, who has been with RPM since 2011, has informed the organization that he will return to his native home of Australia in 2015. This was a personal decision by Ambrose. At this time RPM is currently evaluating several driver opportunities to help drive the #9 team forward and will make a future announcement at the appropriate time. Richard Petty, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, is thankful for Ambrose and his dedication to the team. ‘Marcos will always be a part of our extended racing family,’ said Richard Petty, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports. ‘He came over to the United States with his family and dedicated his time here to giving it the best he had each week. I couldn’t ask anything more from Marcos and his commitment on and off of the track to our race team and our partners. Away from the track, he’s a family person first. That’s something I respect and we’ll miss Marcos, Sonja and their children.’ Ambrose will depart the team as one of the most successful drivers to ever race under the Petty banner. His NASCAR legacy will be cemented as one of the greatest to ever wheel a stock car on road courses, specifically the course at Watkins Glen International where he has six NASCAR wins.(Richard Petty Motorsports)(9-13-2014)
UPDATE: Ambrose talked to the media Saturday morning after the announcement:
‘First of all I need to thank everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports, it has been a great four years together. It has been incredible to drive for the King and Stanley DeWalt and Ford Racing and everybody. The time is just right for me to stop. I feel like the timing is right for myself and my family to return to Australia and that is what we are going to do.
WHAT WENT INTO THIS DECISION? ‘There has been a lot of conjecture through the years but I just want to get my kids home to enjoy the Australian lifestyle as well so they can make a good choice when they grow up. This is really a racing choice for me and I feel like the time is right for me to stop in the US and personally I think it is a great time to move back home to Australia with my family.’
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR NASCAR CAREER? ‘It has been fantastic. I never thought I would achieve what I have at the Sprint Cup level. I have survived here for years and I have had some wins but not enough and I feel like I was up against it early on from my background. I came from a country that doesn’t have any asphalt oval racing at all and so I feel like I have achieved a lot and am really satisfied.’
ANY COMMENT ON YOUR FUTURE PLANS? IT IS RUMORED YOU MIGHT BE JOINING A PENSKE OWNED TEAM. ‘Today is not the day to talk about anything about my racing future. I feel like personally this is the right choice for myself and my family to call it a day here in the US and move on to our next chapter.’
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF COMING BACK TO DRIVE ROAD RACES? ‘I haven’t really thought about that. This decision was made some time ago and RPM felt like today was a good day to announce it but I had spoken to RPM about this before the summer.’(Ford Racing)(9-13-2014)
UPDATE 2: Following the announcement that Ambrose would return to Australia next season and speculation that he would drive Australian Super-V8 cars for Team Penske, Tim Cindric of Penske tweeted, ‘We plan to have a teleconference on Monday at 9pm EST to give an update and address the media. No further comments. Focused on the Chase now.’ The late teleconference time is 10:00am Tuesday morning in Sydney, Australia.(9-14-2014)
UPDATE 3: Team Penske announced that it will form a partnership with one of the most successful motorsport teams in Australia to compete in the popular V8 Supercars Championship, beginning in 2015. Working with Dick Johnson Racing (DJR), the longest-established motor racing team in Australia, Team Penske plans to race next season in the ultra-competitive touring car series that features events contested at Australia’s top motorsport venues. DJR Team Penske will compete with Ford Falcons in the 2015 V8 Supercars Championship with a true hero of Australian motorsports behind the wheel. Marcos Ambrose will return to the Series where he drew international acclaim to race the iconic #17 Ford for DJR Team Penske. Ambrose is a two-time V8 Supercars champion; winning back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004. He transitioned to a winning career in NASCAR where he has earned seven wins and eight pole positions while competing in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series over the past nine seasons.(Team Penske)(9-13-2014)
