Marcos Ambrose says it was time to make the change
Marcos Ambrose says it was time for a change. // Jeff Robinson, NASCAR Illustrated
Marcos Ambrose left many opportunities in Australia five years ago to pursue his NASCAR dream, one that he wasn’t sure how it would pan out.
Now, after 67 career Sprint Cup starts and two Nationwide Series victories, Ambrose is again making a move without a definite place to go.
Ambrose is leaving JTG Daugherty Racing after the 2010 season, a ride that he could have had next year with sponsors already in place.
But mired in 27th in the standings this year after finishing 18th in points in 2009, he felt a change was needed. The 33-year-old said he had to make the decision to leave now to help the team move on.
“When a decision like this is made, you’ve got to be able to deal with the consequences,” Ambrose said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It sounds crazy from the outside, but we’ll see what happens. When I came to America, I came on bravery and stupidity. I walked away from a five-year manufacturer contract and a three-year team contract and I felt it was for the right reasons. And it worked out. I managed to become a NASCAR driver and live a dream.
“This right now on the face of it, seems crazy we haven’t got the certainty on the back side but I feel like it was the right choice and the timing was right.”
Considered a leading candidate to join Richard Petty Motorsports next year, in part because of his long ties with Ford Motor Company, Ambrose said Tuesday he has nothing definite. RPM appears to be in a state of transition as driver Kasey Kahne is leaving after this year, Elliott Sadler said he has had no discussions about returning to the team and RPM has not announced full-season sponsorship of any of its four cars next year.
“Getting to this point was a big enough drama,” Ambrose said. “I’m not sure what’s in store for me. But I feel like it was the right decision for me personally. … I’m ready for a change and feel like the time was right.
“I have had a long relationship with Ford and they were great for me in my career. I’m just sitting back here. I’m going to let it settle seven-to-10 days. With JTG, I wasn’t sure it was ever going to get to this point. I’m going to just pause for a few days and see what shakes out.”
He said JTG Daugherty owners Tad Geschickter, Tad’s wife Jodi, and Brad Daugherty have been good to work with in securing his release. Ambrose entered NASCAR driving for Geschickter in the Truck Series for one season, then two more in Nationwide. He drove in 11 races in Cup in 2008 and then was impressive in his first full season by finishing 18th in points.
Ambrose nearly won the race at Infineon Raceway in June but he stalled his car while trying to save gas late in the race and saw the win slip away – a win that would have been his first as well as the first for the JTG organization.
“I’ve got my own issues to deal with,” said Ambrose, the father of two young children. “I’m 33, and we’re a young family and we need to look at all options. Sometimes change is good for everybody. I feel a little stale in the sense that we weren’t progressing like we needed to.
“I didn’t want to hold the team back. There were question marks why I was running so bad, and I just want to help them rebuild this year, get to victory lane and transfer to a new driver.”
The decision to make the move was difficult, Ambrose said.
“It’s not been an easy decision,” Ambrose said. “It’s not been an easy process to get to this point. JTG are good friends and have all been very loyal to me and tried to do their best. I feel like I have let them down a little bit with this choice.
“It is a personal choice. But I just feel like it’s time for a change. I looked deep inside myself to really think about where I want to go and what I want to do. I can get an opportunity to stay in NASCAR, which I’d love to do if I could and finish off what I started or I could go back to Australia and race Australian Supercar Series again, which I’m cool with.”
