MOTORSPORT: It’s official – Ambrose to return to V8s with Penske

Iconic American Roger Penske has confirmed today that he's linking up with Australian legend Dick Johnson to field Marcos Ambrose in next year's V8 Supercars Championship.

The official word that Ambrose will return to the series he won in 2003 and '04, this time in a Penske-entered Ford Falcon run out of Johnson's Queensland workshop, came a day after the Tasmanian announced his exit from NASCAR and a day ahead of a teleconference that will explain the details.

Billionaire and hugely-respected global automotive identity Penske, whose Australian trucking interests will back the Ambrose entry, said: “Team Penske is excited to partner with Dick Johnson Racing to compete in the V8 Supercars Championship, starting next season.

“We believe in building our businesses through racing and our success on the track.

“With our new business ventures in Australia, it makes sense to showcase our brands through the V8 Supercars Championship and the opportunity to work with DJR and Marcos Ambrose convinced us to go forward.”

Team Penske has had 401 major race wins – the latest of them Brad Keselowski's victory today in the first race of The Chase for NASCAR's 2014 Sprint Cup title at Chicagoland Speedway.

Keselowski won the 2012 Sprint Cup for Penske, who also has won the Indianapolis 500 open-wheeler classic a record 15 times and a dozen Indy racing series titles – most recently two weeks ago with Australian driver Will Power.

Penske is known throughout the motor and racing industries as 'The Captain'.

Ambrose is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the American season to return home to Tasmania to let his two daughters grow up in the Australian lifestyle.

He said that joining Penske's entry to V8 Supercars was “a great opportunity to return home to a place that I love in a series where I've experienced a lot of success”.

“It will be an honour to race for two motorsport legends in Roger Penske and Dick Johnson.”

Dick Johnson Racing is the longest-established professional motor racing team in Australia.

Despite its rough ride in recent years, DJR holds the record of seven Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar championships – with most of its success achieved by Johnson until his retirement from race driving 15 years ago.

Johnson said his team was “certainly looking forward to this new challenge” with Ambrose and Penske.

“I have always admired what Roger Penske has accomplished in business and with his racing teams and it will be a thrill to work with Team Penske and Marcos in 2015,” he said.

Ambrose drove in 65 V8 Supercar rounds before going to the US nine years ago. He won 15 of those rounds and 28 individual races.

In more than 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup races he twice won at the famous Watkins Glen road course in New York State but never on the oval tracks.

However, he had five other wins in the lower tiers of NASCAR – the Nationwide and pick-up truck series – on the way to his full-time career in the top level of American stock car racing.