Australian Marcos Ambrose is staying in America.
Marcos Ambrose Signs Multiyear Deal To Drive For Richard Petty Motorsports
Stuck in a rut at JTG Daugherty Racing, Ambrose made a decision to leave the No. 47 car without having a backup plan. If another team wasn’t willing to take a chance on him in NASCAR, Ambrose would be forced to return to Australia with unfinished business.
But it was worth the risk, in his mind. Ambrose wasn’t satisfied with his performance on intermediate ovals. He felt like his team wasn’t improving enough.
“It was safe over there (at JTG) for me; I wasn’t going to get fired,” he said. “But it wasn’t what I came to America to do.”
What he came to do was win.
On Tuesday, Ambrose took a step in that direction when he announced a new multiyear agreement to drive the No. 9 car at Richard Petty Motorsports with the support of Stanley Tools.
“I thought it was time to make a change,” he said. “I feel great about the decisions I’ve made, and I feel really optimistic about the future.”
When Ambrose left JTG, his first call was to manufacturer Ford. In Australia, Ambrose had made a name for himself driving Fords and had a strong connection to the company.
Ford helped Ambrose land at RPM, and Stanley hopped on board.
He never even had to talk with any other teams, committing to RPM despite the apparent struggles that team has had behind the scenes.
"I feel really good about the future of RPM," he said. "I like the direction they're taking. I think they have a very healthy future coming up."
Ambrose said he couldn’t leave America without proving to himself that he could compete with the best stock-car drivers in the world, adding that he feels he could match the achievements of Jimmie Johnson in the right situation.
Now Ambrose will get more of a chance and what he called a “dream opportunity” in driving for a team partially owned by Richard Petty.
“I never thought for one moment that I would ever have a friendship with The King or drive for him,” Ambrose said. “It’s just a dream opportunity for me to solidify myself in NASCAR as a premier driver and get to Victory Lane.”
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