Everybody knew it was just a matter of time before Marcos Ambrose won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, so when he took the checkered flag at Watkins Glen International last August there was a huge sense of accomplishment and relief.

 

The win was not only the first for Ambrose, but the first for the new Richard Petty Motorsports, which restructured during the off-season after signing Ambrose to a contract only a few weeks earlier.

 

As driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, Ambrose was in the hunt for a wildcard spot to make last year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but came up short in his final chance at Richmond. Despite not making the 12-driver Chase field, Ambrose still had a memorable season as he finished 19th in points and posted career highs in a single-season for top-five (5) and top-10 finishes (12).

 

In addition to his win at Watkins Glen, Ambrose also made it to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as he captured the NAPA Auto Parts 200 road course event in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for RPM.

 

This is the second tour of duty in the United States for Marcos Ambrose with Ford Racing, who originally moved from Australia in 2004.  He made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut driving the No. 21 Ford of the Wood Brothers in 2008 at Infineon Raceway, but eventually headed with car owner Tad Geschickter the following year to Michael Waltrip Racing, where the team had a newly-negotiated alliance.

 

Ambrose obviously wouldn’t have gotten to this point if he didn’t have the ability, but the learning curve has been steep. Considering Ambrose had never raced on an oval before coming to America, he has put together some impressive statistics.

 

He showed everyone that going fast is something that comes naturally because in his third NASCAR event—the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway—Ambrose qualified third. His lack of experience, however, showed once the green flag fell as he got involved in an accident on lap four and finished 36th.  Overall, Ambrose raced in 22 of 25 events with two top-5s and four top-10s while finishing 21st in the point standings.

 

That progress earned him a promotion to the Nationwide Series, where he continued to improve and impress. An eighth-place finish in the point standings ensued as Ambrose produced one pole (Memphis), one top-5 finish (Memphis) and six top-10 finishes.

 

Ambrose gained most of his notoriety as a racer in his native Australia, winning the V8 Supercar championship in back-to-back seasons (’03 and ’04).  Known as the ‘Devil Racer’ because he grew up in Tasmania, Ambrose also competed in the open-wheel Formula One-type cars and won the 1999 British Formula Ford championship.

 

He was signed to compete in the V8 Supercar Series in ’01 and ever since then he began thinking about racing in NASCAR. Ambrose was sponsored by Ford in Australia and contacted Ford Racing officials in the U.S., who promptly put him through some test sessions and coordinated an opportunity with the Wood Brothers.

 

Ambrose resides in North Carolina during the season, but travels back to Australia when time permits. He and his wife, Sonja, have two children — Tabitha and Adelaide.