Marcos Ross Ambrose (born 1 September 1976)[1] is an Australian former racing driver and currentGarry Rogers Motorsport competition director. He won the Australian V8 Supercar series' championship in2003 and2004.
In 2006, Ambrose relocated to theUnited States to pursue racing inNASCAR, starting with theCraftsman Truck Series. He moved up to theNationwide Series in 2007,[2] and later theSprint Cup Series in 2008. He is known in NASCAR for having won a total of 6 races atWatkins Glen International. In the Sprint Cup Series, he won at the Glen in 2011 and 2012, and in the Nationwide Series, he won at the Glen in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014. He is the first Australian driver to win in the highest level of NASCAR.
Ambrose grew up inLaunceston, Tasmania, Australia, the son of another racing driver, Ross Ambrose and was educated atScotch Oakburn College. He began racingkarts at the age of ten. He won fourTasmanian state junior karting titles and was the Australian karting champion in 1995 in the Clubman Heavy class at the Dubbo circuit inNew South Wales. He moved intoFormula Ford in 1996. Ambrose finished second in the AustralianFormula Ford championship in 1997.
In 1998, Ambrose moved to Europe in a bid to reachFormula One, competing in BritishFormula Ford in 1998 and 1999. In 1999, he won the European Formula Ford Championship. In 2000, he began the season racing in the FrenchFormula Three Championship, before switching mid-season to theBritish Formula Three Championship.
At the end of 2000. Ambrose did not have the budget to continue in racing in Europe, and returned to Australia. In October 2000, he was invited to compete in a Young Guns invitational race held at theGold Coast Indy 300. Ambrose won against a host of young drivers inHonda road cars.
He also represented Australia in the1996 EFDA Nations Cup atDonington Park in England.
For2001, Ambrose was signed byStone Brothers Racing to drive aFord Falcon AU. Ambrose stunned theSupercars Championship world when he qualified on pole on debut, at theAustralian Grand Prix support race. He qualified on pole again for round three atEastern Creek, round nine atQueensland Raceway and round 11, theBathurst 1000, where he became the first rookie to take pole position since1987.
Ambrose went on to finish eighth in the championship, winning the Rookie of the Year award. He won the fourth round of the season, atHidden Valley Raceway, although he did not win any of the three races in the round.[3]
In2002, Ambrose started the season winning pole position atPhillip Island before recording his debut race win in the first race. He eventually finished third in the championship, including winning the final round atSandown.
With a newFalcon BA, Ambrose gave the Ford team a great start to the2003 season with victory in the first race of theClipsal 500. He followed this up with a third career win at Eastern Creek. After thirteen rounds in the 2003 V8 Supercar Series, Ambrose was presented with the driver's series trophy, 102 points clear of second place.
In2004, Ambrose claimed three pole positions and five round wins and went into the final round at Eastern Creek with a virtually unbeatable lead. In the end he collected his second championship in the opening Saturday night race and then went on to clean-sweep the round in record-breaking style in his Pirtek Falcon. TeammateRussell Ingall finished second in the championship, giving Stone Brothers Racing a 1–2Quinella finish. The late part of the season was highlighted by an altercation between Ambrose andRick Kelly when Ambrose appeared to have brake-checked Kelly on purpose after a race at the Gold Coast; Ambrose was fined $10,000 forcareless driving.[4]
Ambrose won the covetedBarry Sheene Medal in 2003 and 2004.[5]
Ambrose started2005 with a clean sweep of the opening round in Adelaide. He remained in the championship lead and was near to winning the championship until Round 10 at theBathurst 1000 when he was involved in a controversial crash withGreg Murphy approaching The Cutting late in the race. The two drivers walked out and argued to applause from the fans. Both of them were infuriated with one another and shared words in exchanges. Murphy said about the altecation, "He's got an ego problem that we all know about and it reared its ugly head again, and I'm just not going to put up with it".[6] Ambrose was quoted after the race was finished with his title hopes:
Greg's probably going to blame me, because he tends to blame everyone but himself for these kinds of incidents. I knew that I was already 99% past him, I gave him a car-length and a half to go two-wide up into The Cutting, and I just got clean wiped out.
— Marcos Ambrose, on a TV Interview after Bathurst 2005
This crash, combined with a poor performance on theSurfers Paradise Street Circuit possibly lost him a third straight title. He thereafter supported teammateRussell Ingall's title bid successfully, and the two helped Ford and Stone Brothers Racing take the Drivers, Teams, and Manufacturer's championships. Ambrose finished third in the championship behind Ingall and fellowFord driverCraig Lowndes.
In September 2014, it was announced that Ambrose would return to V8 Supercars to race aFord Falcon FG X forDJR Team Penske, formed byNASCAR ownerRoger Penske, who was interested in expanding hisTeam Penske organization to start a team in Australia and as a result merged withDick Johnson Racing, becoming DJR Team Penske.
Ambrose started in2015.[7] He debuted at the final round of the2014 season,[8] driving the #66Xbox-sponsoredFG Falcon.
He began the 2015 season on a low note, starting near the back of the field in every one of the race. His best finish was twelfth in the 3rd race at the Clipsal 500 inAdelaide.
In March 2015, Ambrose took a temporary leave from DJR Team Penske in order to improve his practice with V8 Supercar racing, being replaced withScott Pye.[9] He returned for the three-round Pirtek Endurance Cup as Pye's second driver, claiming an eighth finish at Surfers Paradise race 1.
Ambrose did not return as a full-season driver in 2016.
In a 2017 interview, two years after his abrupt retirement, a journalist for Motorsport.com interviewed Ambrose at his brand-new Lodge nearLaunceston, over his shocking retirement from V8 Supercars. In the interview, Ambrose said that the ultimate reason was that, "My time was up," and that he was "Putting the team first" in making his decision to step aside from the car after only two races.[10][11]
In the interview, Ambrose stated,"The deal with Roger and Team Penske and Dick, it was really formulated a year and a half beforehand where a conversation occurs you say 'if you ever did that Roger I'd love to drive for you', and you kind of leave it at that. And then a year and a half later the phone call comes and it's on. And it's like 'oh shit, is this really what I should be doing now? Because I'm feeling pretty tired and worn out from my American thing'. I thought it'd be right, I'd come home and it'd work itself out. And then the situation that DJR was in at the time, where they were in this transition phase – and they still are, they're getting better and better each race, you can see their progression, but it takes time. I knew it. So when you come back, and I'm struggling to adapt from NASCAR back into a modern V8, the testing restrictions, and the tires are hard, and I'm confused and tired from the States … and then you see 'Fuck, to get out of this is going to take three years, to dig yourself out of this hole'. And I realised that I'm not the right person for that team in the phase that they're in. I need to get out of the way. And that's what I did."[10]
In an interview with the same journalist for Motorsport.com, Roger Penske said,"It was a call that he made and we supported him; he was very gracious in the way he handled it, and quite honestly I respect him. It reminded me ofRick Mears when he told me in 1992 that he didn't have it in his belly any more to go as hard as he needed to, and that it was time to move on. Marcos didn't say it that way, but he realized the sport had moved on and maybe he was not able to make the commitment we needed over a longer period of time".[11]
Ambrose made a brief return to racing at the 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour, which is part of theBathurst Motor Festival held during the Easter weekend. He raced as a co-driver alongsideGeorge Miedecke and Tim Brook in the number 33Ford Mustang.[12] He retired from the race after the Mustang's10-speed automatic transmission failed after two hours into the race.[13]
At the first V8 Supercar race of 2005, Ambrose called a press conference on the Saturday morning to announce to the top staff and fans that he would leave V8 Supercars at the end of the 2005 season to try to make a career in NASCAR.
In 2005, Ambrose signed his deal to compete under NASCAR andFord Motor Company signed Ambrose to participate overseas in the United States withWood Brothers/JTG Racing in theNASCARCamping World Truck Series in 2006 to start his career. However, Ambrose had to wait until part way through the 2006 season to begin. NASCAR did not clear Ambrose to race the NCTS' first three races, as they were held on intermediate to high-speedovals, and like fellow Wood Brothers/JTG Racing driverBobby East, Ambrose was not cleared to start in the faster races. Ambrose made his Truck Series debut on 1 April 2006 at theKroger 250 atMartinsville Speedway, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd after being caught up in an incident unfolding in front of him.[14]
Ambrose is the first notableAustralian driver in a NASCAR sanctioned event sinceDick Johnson in 1990 and Australian based New ZealanderJim Richards in the mid 90s.
Ambrose made history by finishing third in theO'Reilly Auto Parts 250 atKansas Speedway on 2 July 2006. This was the first time a non-American driver has finished in the top five of a truck series event since CanadianRon Fellows won on the Watkins Glen road course on 26 June 1999. He also took the lead in the opening laps, becoming the firstAustralian to lead laps in Camping World Truck Series competition. The next week, he made further history by scoring his firstpole position for theBuilt Ford Tough 225 atKentucky Speedway,[15] and then leading the most laps in the race itself, though he finished 19th.[16] Ambrose finished third in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway after qualifying eleventh.
Ambrose reached as high as nineteenth in the championship points,[17] but finished the season 21st overall and third in theRookie of the Year standings, despite having missed the first three races of the year.[2]
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For 2007, Ambrose stepped up to the NASCARNationwide Series, driving the No. 59 Kingsford Ford Fusion fielded by Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. In the first two races of the2007 season, he finished on the lead lap, in sixteenth and 25th, on tracks he had never previously raced on. In the third race of the season, theTelcel-Motorola México 200, Ambrose finished eighth, his career best at the time. having gained several positions in the last few laps of the race. He followed up his eighth place finish inMexico City with another top-ten, finishing tenth in theSam's Town 300 atLas Vegas. He recorded a career best Nationwide Series finish of sixth after starting third at Dover in May.
At the 2007NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series race atCircuit Gilles Villeneuve inMontreal, Ambrose was the dominant driver of the day, having led for 37 laps. After a caution period had finished, Ambrose had well-known Sprint Cup regular andDakar Rally racerRobby Gordon behind him. At turn three, Gordon successfully made a pass on Ambrose and then the yellow flag came out. At the next corner, Ambrose rammed the left-rear of Gordon's car, spinning him out under yellow. Due to a caution being brought out earlier because of a large crash behind them, Gordon sped back behind Ambrose. During the caution, NASCAR officials declared that Ambrose was actually leading at the moment of caution (even though video footage appeared to show otherwise) and that Gordon had not maintained cautious pace by stopping in the middle of the race-track after the spin. Therefore, officials ordered Gordon to move back to fourteenth position for the oncoming restart, but he refused and was subsequentlyblack-flagged. When they restarted with two laps to go, Gordon intentionally ran into the back of Ambrose at turn two, spinning him around. Although the win slipped away, Ambrose dropped down the field but recovered to finish in seventh. Following this incident, Gordon apologised and made a peace offering to Ambrose in the form of a ride for theWatkins Glen road race, in Gordon's No. 77 Camping World Ford Fusion. However, qualifying was rained out and the field was set by owner's points, and the No. 77 did not make the race.[18]
In September, Ambrose skipped a second opportunity to drive the No. 77 car because his wife Sonja gave birth to their daughter Adelaide on the same day as the Cup race at Dover. Ambrose finished the 2007 season eighth in the points standings, highest of any driver not also competing in the Cup Series, and finished second behindDavid Ragan in theRookie of the Year standings. On Sunday 20 April 2008 Ambrose was involved in a racing incident withBoris Said in the Busch Series event in Mexico. Ambrose admitted "getting into the back" ofroad course specialist, Said, causing Said to wreck and ruining his chances at a race where Said has consistently finished in the top-ten. After the race Said claimed that he was not mad at Ambrose, but wanted to apologise to (Ambrose's) crew chief, Gary Cogswell because it was going to "cost him a car," implying that Said will wreck Ambrose intentionally next time they find themselves on a NASCAR track together. Even though NASCAR said that Said just wrecked himself by getting loose, and that Ambrose has repeatedly apologised, in numerous subsequent public appearances, Said has not backed down in his threatening of Ambrose, at one point suggesting he would not apologise but preferred to "beat (Ambrose's) ass".[19]
However, later that year at Watkins Glen when Ambrose was leading the NBNS race, in the final five laps he took the lead and with two laps left he raced behind the bumper of a lapped Said. Ambrose's crew chief Gary Cogswell ordered Ambrose to not pass Said believing that Said still had a grudge against them after Mexico City. The fans, Ambrose, his team and among other NASCAR drivers were surprised when Said did not commit his revenge before Ambrose later won the race. To this day Said has not explained why he did not crash Ambrose when he had a good chance and it still remains unknown why Said did not perform his revenge.[20]
Prior to the 2008 season,Wood Brothers Racing andJTG Racing split into two teams.[21] Ambrose was scheduled to drive for both teams inSprint Cup competition in 2008. He was going to run twelve races in the No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers and another four in the No. 47 car for JTG Racing. However, due to various issues he only ran 11 of the 16 planned races. He ran well in the Toyota-Save Mart 350 at Infineon, qualifying seventh out of 47 drivers and was running in the top three, but his No. 21 spun through the famous turn eleven hairpin and blowing his transmission, finishing a disappointing 42nd in the 43-car field. He attempted to make his second career Sprint Cup start in theLenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire, but failed to qualify, qualifying 45 out of 45. Again, 43 cars would start, and again, he attempted to qualify the 21 car.[22][23] He also drove the full Nationwide Series schedule.
He almost won the2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, dominating again like in 2007 but when a thunderstorm blew the track, Ambrose tried to slow for a pit stop. Nonetheless, his car slid across pit road too fast unable to stop because of the waters; thus he earned a black-flag for a pass-through penalty. He ended up third in the final results behind race winnerRon Fellows.
On 15 July 2008, it was announced that Ambrose would run the full 2009 cup schedule withJTG Racing with a new partnership withBrad Daugherty. The team was renamed JTG Daugherty Racing.[24]
Ambrose got his first Nationwide Series win on 9 August 2008 in theZippo 200 atWatkins Glen after his heartbreak at Montreal the previous week (See above). The next day, he finished third, after starting in 43rd position in theCenturion Boats at the Glen, behind winnerKyle Busch andTony Stewart.
Ambrose drove the No. 47Toyota in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup series, after forming a technical alliance withMichael Waltrip Racing andToyota Racing Development.[25] Ambrose also drove the last 4 races of the 2008 Sprint Cup series in the No. 47 Toyota, after NASCAR agreed to change MWR's car number from No. 00 to No. 47.[26] Ambrose entered Homestead with the No. 47 in the top-35, earning him a guaranteed start for the first time in his career. However, a bad finish at Homestead put the team back out of the top-35, so Ambrose would have been required to qualify on time for the first five races of 2009. Eventually, the team earned a top-35 exemption after a number of teams merged. Ambrose is ineligible for 2009 Rookie of the Year consideration because he ran 11 races in 2008. Ambrose finished tenth in the2009 Food City 500, despite losing a cylinder with about one-hundred laps (fifty miles) to go. Ambrose would back this Top-10 finish up by posting four more in the first half of the season. Ambrose got his second straight Nationwide Series win at Watkins Glen, his second in two years as he held offKyle Busch for the win. He followed up with a second place in the Sprint Cup race at the Glen. The following week Ambrose dominated the Nationwide race at Montreal, but on the final lap, he was passed by Carl Edwards when Ambrose jumped over the curb too high, and Carl Edwards zipped past him for the win. Ambrose picked up a top ten finish at the2009 Sharpie 500. Ambrose charged hard from being one lap down with less than one-hundred laps left, to finish in third place behindKyle Busch andMark Martin.
The 2010 season was a myriad of troubles for Ambrose. Engine problems, unlucky crashes and pit road troubles plagued his racing season. However, in the Zippo 200 at The Glen, Ambrose won his third straight Watkins Glen he held offJoey Logano andKevin Harvick to win. Since the win, he started to gain some form, recording a top-ten at Atlanta and a top-five at Richmond. At theToyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, Ambrose led 35 laps, and held a ten-second lead overJimmie Johnson. His lead got erased by a caution on lap 104. During the caution, Ambrose turned off his car's engine to conserve fuel, but was unable to restart it. As a result, Ambrose attempted to return to his spot, but was forced to fall to seventh on the restart due to not maintaining a particular speed during the caution,[27] and finished sixth. After the race, Ambrose stated, "I was leading the race and had trouble getting the motor cranked back up a little bit there, and NASCAR made the call. I was trying to save fuel and the motor shut off. It didn't recrank the way it should. I didn't stop rolling, but it is what it is."[28]
Ambrose announced on 17 August 2010 that he signed a multi-year deal withRichard Petty Motorsports to drive the #9 Stanley/DeWalt Power Tools Ford Fusion. He finished 37th in his first race with the team at theDaytona 500, after being crashed out of contention in a fifteen car wreck in turn three on lap 29. He did finish the race. He went on to have an impressive race at Phoenix running in the top-ten for most of the day. In August, Ambrose won the rain delayed Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen on 15 August to rack up his first career Sprint Cup Series win by passingBrad Keselowski andKyle Busch with two laps to go. Ambrose further vindicated his road course abilities, backing up under a week later by taking an emotional victory atMontreal in theNationwide Series, during theNAPA Auto Parts 200. The 2011 season continued to be his career best as he recorded five top-five and twelve top-ten finishes. Ambrose finished the 2011 season nineteenth in the final point standings.
Ambrose returned to Richard Petty Motorsports for 2012. In February he almost won the Budweiser Shootout with bump-drafting help from Keselowski; but lost the lead just as he took the white flag toTony Stewart and eventual race winnerKyle Busch. Ambrose said after the race that despite losing the Shootout the race was his best performance on a restrictor plate track (although he also had several top-tens at previous plate races, such as a 4th-place finish at Talladega in the spring 2009 race).
Ambrose started the season with a thirteenth place finish in the Daytona 500, and in the spring races, collected six top-twenty finishes and two top-ten finishes. In June, he posted the fastest qualifying speed in NASCAR competition in 25 years, winning his first career Sprint Cup pole in theQuicken Loans 400 atMichigan International Speedway at a speed of 203.241 miles per hour (327.085 km/h), the third fastest pole speed ever in NASCAR. Ambrose finished ninth in that race.
The following week, Ambrose won the pole at Infineon Raceway but only led about ten laps before he had to pit thus putting him in the top ten for the rest of the day. He finished 8th.[29]
Returning to Watkins Glen, Ambrose started fifth and dominated part of the race but was passed in a three-wide move by Kyle Busch with twenty laps remaining. When the white flag was about to wave he saw that Busch was slipping in oil; in the entrance to the esses he and Brad Keselowski passed him; Ambrose then saw that Keselowski was slipping in oil too and he took the lead in the final turn, holding off Keselowski for the second time in a row and defending his win from the previous year. Ambrose was very emotional about his win due to his father seeing it on television in a hospital for an illness and due to his luck that day. The win moved Ambrose up one position in the standings from eighteenth to seventeenth. Ambrose still has promised the racing world for a future oval win since his #1 goal currently is to prove he can win at places other than road courses.
His victory caused local companyMac Tools to offer Ambrose multi-year sponsorship which Ambrose's boss,Richard Petty, approved of. Mac Tools sponsored Ambrose in a few races for 2012 and throughout 2013.
To start the 2013 season, Ambrose had eleventh place finishes in both theSprint Unlimited and theBudweiser Duel. Ambrose drove in the top ten for a part of theDaytona 500 but whenKevin Harvick,Kasey Kahne andTony Stewart crashed out of the race, Ambrose slowed down to avoid being involved in the accident, causing him to drive for the rest of the race further back in the field. He finished in eighteenth place. He recorded another eighteenth place finish at Phoenix and a 22nd place finish at Las Vegas.
Ambrose was on his way to a good finish in theNRA 500 atTexas Motor Speedway before crashing withJeff Burton and finishing a lap down. Then, a couple weeks later he had a frustrating day atRichmond International Raceway when his engine failed early and he finished 42nd. He recovered for a 14th-place finish at Talladega, one of his top 2013 finishes.
In theCoca-Cola 600, Ambrose reached a top-ten spot in an unusual style. On the final lap,Carl Edwards was about to hold off Ambrose for the tenth position, but got loose in the final turn to the finish line, causing Ambrose to slip by to steal the tenth spot and lock Edwards out of the top ten finishers. This fight for tenth place resembled a reverse style of Ambrose's race at Montreal in 2009, which ended with Edwards getting by him on the final lap.
At Sonoma, Ambrose led the first laps of the race getting by pole-sitter Jamie McMurray at the start of the race. He finished in seventh place. At Loudon, Ambrose fought Harvick in the opening laps for a top ten spot. In a corner, Harvick rammed Ambrose's right rear causing Ambrose to spin out; he would finish in 33rd.
At Watkins Glen, Ambrose won the pole after breaking the track record with a lap speed of 128.241 mph (206.384 km/h), breaking the previous record held byJuan Pablo Montoya's speed of 127.020 mph (204.419 km/h).[30] Ambrose led 51 laps but on lap sixty, he pitted under caution. He restarted in fifteenth and never recovered. With three laps left while running in eighth place Ambrose tangled with road-course rivalMax Papis, ending his hopes to win three races in a row at the Glen. Ambrose was visibly upset with Papis in the aftermath, furiously tossing his steering wheel at the in-car camera, tossing his helmet hard through his window, and pointing his finger at Papis when Papis came by under caution.[31] Ambrose finished 31st. Had he won, Ambrose would have joinedJeff Gordon andMark Martin as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive races at the Glen.[32]
Ambrose made a Nationwide Series return at theMid-Ohio Sports Car Course'sNationwide Children's Hospital 200.[33] Ambrose had to start in the back as he did not qualify the car. Ambrose made it up to third, but was then spun out numerous times, falling to sixteenth. He rallied to finish in seventh place[34] but was spun out byParker Kligerman after the checkered flag for previous contact during the race.
Ambrose started with a seventh-place finish in the Sprint Unlimited, and an eighteenth place finish in the Daytona 500. He then had 21st and 24th place finishes at Phoenix and Las Vegas. At Bristol, Ambrose finished fifth in what was statistically one of Richard Petty Motorsports' best races to date, as teammateAric Almirola finished third. It was Ambrose's first top-five finish in a race since the2012 Irwin Tools Night Race.
At Richmond, Ambrose was running in the top five of the Richmond 400. While racingCasey Mears mid-way into the race, Ambrose was bumped wide by Mears that lost Ambrose multiple positions. The two drivers confronted each other post race, which saw Ambrose land a punch into Mears' face after Mears was seen pushing Ambrose.[35] Ambrose was fined $25,000 and Mears $15,000 for the altercation. Both drivers were placed on probation for one month.[36] Despite the feud, both Casey and Marcos said they remain buddies and will "have a beer together" with Ambrose promising to buy.
Ambrose finished 10th at Daytona for a top-ten finish while his teammate Aric Almirola won the race when rain had shortened the event.
Ambrose returned to the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen in the No. 09.[37] Ambrose dominated the race and won his 5th Nationwide victory holding off Kyle Busch in a performance reminiscent of 2009. The next day Ambrose started second and after leading some laps, came up short after a side-by-side battle with former teammateA. J. Allmendinger who beat Ambrose by 1.5 seconds after accelerating away from Ambrose on the final lap. Ambrose's crew chiefDrew Blickensderfer protested the finish by saying that Allmendinger jumped the restart, but NASCAR officials and Ambrose both denied this, Ambrose saying "The restart had no influence on the outcome. We just raced and he won."
Ambrose missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup and on 11 September 2014 said he did not expect to be back with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015. This was soon after sponsor Stanley-DEWALT pulled out of RPM to joinCarl Edwards' car atJoe Gibbs Racing but it is unknown if Ambrose's decision to depart had anything to do with Stanley-DEWALT pulling out their sponsorship of the 9 team. Not long after it was announced that Ambrose would be returning to Australia after the 2014 NASCAR season ends for what Ambrose and Petty described as "personal reasons."
In September 2014, Ambrose confirmed he would leave RPM and NASCAR at the end of the 2014 season with a purpose to return to Australia. Ambrose stated that it was for both personal reasons for his children and because he had accepted an offer to join DJR Team Penske, co-owned by NASCAR owner Roger Penske.
When asked about his departure from NASCAR Ambrose stated:"I think I've accomplished all I can accomplish in NASCAR. When I came it was clear all I could do was win races and not have any chance at a championship. I've enjoyed my time here and I will miss my friends and the other drivers very much but this move is done mostly to help my children get raised in our native country and I feel like I want to start a new chapter in my life. I'm glad to leave with multiple wins in NASCAR and having raced for the King."
In his final NASCAR race, the2014 Ford EcoBoost 400, Ambrose qualified seventeenth. He struggled with a poor-handling car, and hit the wall on lap 195, but managed to finish 27th and on the lead lap.[38]
Ambrose is fromLaunceston, Australia. The Ambrose family have a rich history in formula racing as Marcos' father Ross Ambrose, along with Ralph Firman Sr, co-founded Formula Ford chassis builderVan Diemen; Ross is also an Australian investor in Ford who was born inLondon before moving to Australia when he was three.
He is married to Sonja Ambrose and has two daughters named Adelaide and Tabitha.
In 2023, Ambrose was diagnosed with Stage IVcolorectal cancer. He underwent a liver transplant, just the third Australian in history to have such a procedure with that cancer level.[39]
On 24 October 2000, Ambrose was awarded theAustralian Sports Medal for his motor racing achievements.[40]
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Australian Formula Ford Championship | 4th | Swift SC95KFord | Swift Racing Cars |
| EFDA Nations Cup | 8th | Van Diemen –Opel | Team Australia | |
| 1997 | Australian Formula Ford Championship | 2nd | Van Diemen RF97Ford | Marcos Ambrose |
| 1998 | British Formula Ford Championship | 5th | Van Diemen RF98Ford | Van Diemen |
| 1999 | British Formula Ford Championship | 3rd | Van Diemen RF99Ford | Van Diemen |
| Formula Ford EuroCup | 1st | |||
| 2000 | French Formula Three Championship | 12th | Martini Mk.79 Sodemo-Renault | Mygale |
| British Formula Three Championship | 16th | Dallara F300 Mugen-Honda | Alan Docking Racing | |
| 2001 | Shell Championship Series | 8th | Ford AU Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 2002 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 3rd | Ford AU Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 2003 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 1st | Ford BA Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 2004 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 1st | Ford BA Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 2005 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 3rd | Ford BA Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 2006 | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 21st | Ford F-150 | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 2007 | NASCAR Busch Series | 8th | Ford Fusion | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 2008 | NASCAR Nationwide Series | 10th | Ford Fusion | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 45th | Ford Fusion Toyota Camry | Wood Brothers Racing JTG Daugherty Racing Michael Waltrip Racing | |
| 2009 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 18th | Toyota Camry | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series | 77th | |||
| 2010 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 26th | Toyota Camry | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series | 81st | |||
| 2011 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 19th | Ford Fusion | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 2012 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 18th | Ford Fusion | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 2013 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 22nd | Ford Fusion | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 2014 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | 23rd | Ford Fusion | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 2015 | International V8 Supercars Championship | 43rd | Ford FG X Falcon | DJR Team Penske |
| V8 Supercar results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | Position | Points | ||
| 2001 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford AU Falcon | PHI R1 4 | PHI R2 6 | ADE R3 Ret | ADE R4 6 | EAS R5 13 | EAS R6 6 | HDV R7 2 | HDV R8 4 | HDV R9 3 | CAN R10 Ret | CAN R11 2 | CAN R12 Ret | BAR R13 18 | BAR R14 16 | BAR R15 24 | CAL R16 3 | CAL R17 5 | CAL R18 9 | ORA R19 16 | ORA R20 Ret | QLD R21 Ret | WIN R22 5 | WIN R23 3 | BAT R24 Ret | PUK R25 2 | PUK R26 3 | PUK R27 4 | SAN R28 6 | SAN R29 5 | SAN R30 2 | 8th | 2086 | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford AU Falcon | ADE R1 3 | ADE R2 Ret | PHI R3 1 | PHI R4 Ret | EAS R5 2 | EAS R6 2 | EAS R7 4 | HDV R8 3 | HDV R9 9 | HDV R10 5 | CAN R11 4 | CAN R12 6 | CAN R13 20 | BAR R14 6 | BAR R15 24 | BAR R16 10 | ORA R17 4 | ORA R18 2 | WIN R19 2 | WIN R20 4 | QLD R21 5 | BAT R22 21 | SUR R23 2 | SUR R24 Ret | PUK R25 3 | PUK R26 3 | PUK R27 10 | SAN R28 1 | SAN R29 1 | 3rd | 1498 | |||||||||||
| 2003 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford BA Falcon | ADE R1 1 | ADE R1 Ret | PHI R3 17 | EAS R4 1 | WIN R5 1 | BAR R6 3 | BAR R7 2 | BAR R8 1 | HDV R9 2 | HDV R10 1 | HDV R11 1 | QLD R12 2 | ORA R13 1 | SAN R14 5 | BAT R15 6 | SUR R16 6 | SUR R17 4 | PUK R18 6 | PUK R19 23 | PUK R20 9 | EAS R21 1 | EAS R22 1 | 1st | 2085 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford BA Falcon | ADE R1 1 | ADE R2 1 | EAS R3 7 | PUK R4 1 | PUK R5 3 | PUK R6 3 | HDV R7 3 | HDV R8 13 | HDV R9 2 | BAR R10 3 | BAR R11 4 | BAR R12 3 | QLD R13 1 | WIN R14 26 | ORA R15 2 | ORA R16 1 | SAN R17 1 | BAT R18 4 | SUR R19 1 | SUR R20 2 | SYM R21 2 | SYM R22 1 | SYM R23 Ret | EAS R24 1 | EAS R25 1 | EAS R26 1 | 1st | 2174 | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford BA Falcon | ADE R1 1 | ADE R2 1 | PUK R3 5 | PUK R4 3 | PUK R5 4 | BAR R6 2 | BAR R7 5 | BAR R8 3 | EAS R9 1 | EAS R10 2 | SHA R11 5 | SHA R12 4 | SHA R13 12 | HDV R14 4 | HDV R15 28 | HDV R16 9 | QLD R17 2 | ORA R18 4 | ORA R19 2 | SAN R20 14 | BAT R21 Ret | SUR R22 Ret | SUR R23 26 | SUR R24 11 | SYM R25 4 | SYM R26 27 | SYM R27 6 | PHI R28 3 | PHI R29 1 | PHI R30 1 | 3rd | 1856 | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford FG Falcon | ADE R1 | ADE R2 | ADE R3 | SYM R4 | SYM R5 | SYM R6 | WIN R7 | WIN R8 | WIN R9 | PUK R10 | PUK R11 | PUK R12 | PUK R13 | BAR R14 | BAR R15 | BAR R16 | HID R17 | HID R18 | HID R19 | TOW R20 | TOW R21 | TOW R22 | QLD R23 | QLD R24 | QLD R25 | SMP R26 | SMP R27 | SMP R28 | SAN R29 | BAT R30 | SUR R31 | SUR R32 | PHI R33 | PHI R34 | PHI R35 | SYD R36 20 | SYD R37 21 | SYD R38 16 | NC | 01 | ||
| 2015 | DJR Team Penske | Ford FG X Falcon | ADE R1 16 | ADE R2 16 | ADE R3 12 | SYM R4 | SYM R5 | SYM R6 | BAR R7 | BAR R8 | BAR R9 | WIN R10 | WIN R11 | WIN R12 | HID R13 | HID R14 | HID R15 | TOW R16 | TOW R17 | QLD R18 | QLD R19 | QLD R20 | SMP R21 | SMP R22 | SMP R23 | SAN R24 12 | BAT R25 Ret | SUR R26 8 | SUR R27 21 | PUK R28 | PUK R29 | PUK R30 | PHI R31 | PHI R32 | PHI R33 | SYD R34 | SYD R35 | SYD R36 | 43rd | 395 | ||||
1 Wildcard entry ineligible for championship points
| Year | Team | Car | Co-driver | Position | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon AU |  Wayne Wakefield | DNF | 42 |
| 2002 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon AU | Paul Weel | 21st | 154 |
| 2003 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon BA | Russell Ingall | 6th | 161 |
| 2004 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon BA | Greg Ritter | 4th | 161 |
| 2005 | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon BA | Warren Luff | DNF | 144 |
| 2015 | DJR Team Penske | Ford Falcon FG X | Scott Pye | DNF | 137 |
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| NASCARSprint Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NSCC | Pts | Ref | ||
| 2007 | Robby Gordon Motorsports | 77 | Ford | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | NHA | DAY | CHI | IND | POC | GLN DNQ | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL | CLT | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | NA | - | [41] | ||
| 2008 | Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON 42 | NHA DNQ | DAY | CHI | GLN 3 | MCH 43 | BRI | CAL 32 | RCH | NHA | DOV 32 | 45th | 844 | [42] | |||||||||||||
| JTG Racing | 47 | IND 22 | POC | KAN 36 | TAL | CLT | MAR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | ATL 29 | TEX 21 | PHO 18 | HOM 42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | JTG Daugherty Racing | DAY 17 | CAL 22 | LVS 20 | ATL 38 | BRI 10 | MAR 14 | TEX 41 | PHO 14 | TAL 4 | RCH 11 | DAR 33 | CLT 26 | DOV 20 | POC 6 | MCH 31 | SON 3 | NHA 23 | DAY 6 | CHI 11 | IND 22 | POC 34 | GLN 2 | MCH 35 | BRI 3 | ATL 23 | RCH 22 | NHA 20 | DOV 14 | KAN 14 | CAL 23 | CLT 22 | MAR 27 | TAL 34 | TEX 15 | PHO 11 | HOM 35 | 18th | 3830 | [43] | ||||
| 2010 | DAY 41 | CAL 35 | LVS 14 | ATL 11 | BRI 33 | MAR 11 | PHO 11 | TEX 17 | TAL 37 | RCH 9 | DAR 25 | DOV 36 | CLT 36 | POC 30 | MCH 15 | SON 6 | NHA 13 | DAY 32 | CHI 28 | IND 21 | POC 39 | GLN 3 | MCH 15 | BRI 20 | ATL 10 | RCH 5 | NHA 30 | DOV 20 | KAN 34 | CAL 33 | CLT 16 | MAR 34 | TAL 34 | TEX 12 | PHO 22 | HOM 26 | 26th | 3422 | [44] | |||||
| 2011 | Richard Petty Motorsports | 9 | Ford | DAY 37 | PHO 16 | LVS 4 | BRI 15 | CAL 28 | MAR 29 | TEX 6 | TAL 32 | RCH 23 | DAR 13 | DOV 3 | CLT 6 | KAN 26 | POC 34 | MCH 23 | SON 5 | DAY 17 | KEN 20 | NHA 9 | IND 34 | POC 20 | GLN 1 | MCH 27 | BRI 10 | ATL 21 | RCH 21 | CHI 19 | NHA 30 | DOV 9 | KAN 9 | CLT 5 | TAL 19 | MAR 29 | TEX 11 | PHO 8 | HOM 39 | 19th | 936 | [45] | ||
| 2012 | DAY 13 | PHO 32 | LVS 13 | BRI 36 | CAL 21 | MAR 15 | TEX 20 | KAN 16 | RCH 22 | TAL 14 | DAR 9 | CLT 32 | DOV 10 | POC 13 | MCH 9 | SON 8 | KEN 13 | DAY 30 | NHA 19 | IND 20 | POC 10 | GLN 1 | MCH 5 | BRI 5 | ATL 17 | RCH 15 | CHI 27 | NHA 24 | DOV 18 | TAL 27 | CLT 33 | KAN 12 | MAR 24 | TEX 32 | PHO 18 | HOM 13 | 18th | 950 | [46] | |||||
| 2013 | DAY 18 | PHO 19 | LVS 22 | BRI 19 | CAL 36 | MAR 8 | TEX 19 | KAN 20 | RCH 42 | TAL 14 | DAR 34 | CLT 10 | DOV 19 | POC 17 | MCH 23 | SON 7 | KEN 13 | DAY 26 | NHA 33 | IND 16 | POC 12 | GLN 31* | MCH 6 | BRI 8 | ATL 13 | RCH 27 | CHI 15 | NHA 18 | DOV 16 | KAN 9 | CLT 17 | TAL 39 | MAR 19 | TEX 21 | PHO 26 | HOM 26 | 22nd | 872 | [47] | |||||
| 2014 | DAY 18 | PHO 21 | LVS 24 | BRI 5 | CAL 30 | MAR 5 | TEX 20 | DAR 14 | RCH 18 | TAL 19 | KAN 24 | CLT 29 | DOV 16 | POC 24 | MCH 25 | SON 8 | KEN 13 | DAY 10 | NHA 27 | IND 22 | POC 14 | GLN 2 | MCH 12 | BRI 34 | ATL 42 | RCH 27 | CHI 25 | NHA 24 | DOV 26 | KAN 20 | CLT 25 | TAL 8 | MAR 23 | TEX 27 | PHO 10 | HOM 27 | 23rd | 870 | [48] | |||||
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 23 | 17 |
| 2010 | 18 | 41 | ||
| 2011 | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 35 | 37 |
| 2012 | 7 | 13 | ||
| 2013 | 24 | 18 | ||
| 2014 | 7 | 18 |
| NASCARNationwide Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NNSC | Pts | Ref |
| 2007 | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing | 59 | Ford | DAY 16 | CAL 25 | MXC 8 | LVS 10 | ATL 28 | BRI 28 | NSH 17 | TEX 31 | PHO 22 | TAL 25 | RCH 26 | DAR 19 | CLT 20 | DOV 6 | NSH 36 | KEN 11 | MLW 15 | NHA 30 | DAY 35 | CHI 37 | GTY 18 | IRP 32 | CGV 7 | GLN 13 | MCH 19 | BRI 37 | CAL 13 | RCH 15 | DOV 20 | KAN 39 | CLT 40 | MEM 4 | TEX 30 | PHO 15 | HOM 10 | 8th | 3477 | [49] |
| 2008 | JTG Daugherty Racing | DAY 39 | CAL 22 | LVS 28 | ATL 11 | BRI 19 | NSH 23 | TEX 18 | PHO 17 | MXC 2 | TAL 28 | RCH 25 | DAR 10 | CLT 14 | DOV 30 | NSH 19 | KEN 6 | MLW 16 | NHA 14 | DAY 20 | CHI 15 | GTY 15 | IRP 20 | CGV 3 | GLN 1 | MCH 12 | BRI 34 | CAL 15 | RCH 13 | DOV 16 | KAN 11 | CLT 15 | MEM 15 | TEX 9 | PHO 24 | HOM 31 | 10th | 3991 | [50] | ||
| 2009 | 47 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | LVS | BRI | TEX | NSH | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | IOW | GLN 1 | MCH | BRI | CGV 2* | ATL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CAL | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | 77th | 375 | [51] | |
| 2010 | DAY | CAL | LVS | BRI | NSH | PHO | TEX | TAL | RCH | DAR | DOV | CLT | NSH | KEN | ROA | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | IOW | GLN 1 | MCH | BRI | CGV 33 | ATL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CAL | CLT | GTY | TEX | PHO | HOM | 89th | 264 | [52] | |||
| 2011 | Richard Petty Motorsports | 9 | Ford | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | TAL | NSH | RCH | DAR | DOV | IOW | CLT | CHI | MCH | ROA | DAY | KEN | NHA | NSH | IRP | IOW | GLN | CGV 1 | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | 98th | 01 | [53] | |
| 2013 | Richard Petty Motorsports | 9 | Ford | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | RCH | TAL | DAR | CLT | DOV | IOW | MCH | ROA | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH 7 | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | 106th | 01 | [54] | ||
| 2014 | 09 | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | DAR | RCH | TAL | IOW | CLT | DOV | MCH | ROA | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW | GLN 1 | MOH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | 85th | 01 | [55] | ||||
| NASCARCraftsman Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing | 20 | Ford | DAY | CAL | ATL | MAR 33 | GTY 34 | CLT 36 | MFD 23 | DOV 26 | TEX 27 | MCH 26 | MLW 18 | KAN 3 | KEN 19 | MEM 34 | IRP 22 | NSH 3 | BRI 26 | NHA 23 | LVS 7 | TAL 17 | MAR 25 | ATL 16 | TEX 10 | PHO 15 | HOM 27 | 21st | 2228 | [56] | |||||||||||||
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
(key)
| 24 Hours of Daytona results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | Team | Car | Co-drivers | Laps | Position | Class pos. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | GT | Aussie Assault | Porsche GT3 Cup | Paul Morris Craig BairdJohn Teulan | 271 | 53DNF | 28DNF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | DP |  Michael Shank Racing | Ford Riley DP | A. J. Allmendinger Oswaldo Negri Jr.John Pew Justin Wilson | 709 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of theClipsal 500 2004-2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | V8 Supercar Champion 2003,2004 | Succeeded by |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by | Mike Kable Young Gun Award 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by inaugural | Barry Sheene Medal 2003–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Will Power 2007 | Sir Jack Brabham Award with Mark Webber 2009 | Succeeded by Tony Gaze 2011 |
