Ambrose works to extend NASCAR stint

V8 Supercars fans hoping for a return of former two-time champion Marcos Ambrose next season appear set to be disappointed.

Ambrose had been linked to a switch back to the Australian championship in recent months as part of a possible V8 Supercars entry for American giants Team Penske.

While discussions between Penske and Dick Johnson Racing are understood to be ongoing, Ambrose says he is working to continue for a fifth consecutive season with Richard Petty Motorsport in the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

A 2015 campaign would mark Ambrose’s 10th year of racing in the United States, having joined NASCAR’s third-tier Truck Series in 2006.

Rumours of a return to V8 Supercars have been reoccurring since his departure, despite the NASCAR scene allowing Ambrose to enjoy earnings far in excess of that seen by drivers in the Australian category.

Although stating that a deal to continue with RPM is not yet completed, Ambrose told media in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the weekend that he expects to be a part of the team’s future.

“I do anticipate racing in the U.S (next year),” he said.

“There are a lot of changes in the midst at RPM and I’m part of that.

“I have to renew my contract with them, but I’m gonna do whatever I can to get Richard Petty where he wants to go and his whole company.”

RPM’s deals with Ford and engine supplier Roush Yates are up at the conclusion of the season, leaving large question marks over the squad’s 2015 make-up.

Ambrose describes the uncertainty, which has seen Petty reportedly meet with Toyota officials in recent weeks, as an “opportunity to improve the situation”

“Whenever you get a period of time like this where you can shuffle the cards and shuffle the deck, it allows your team to get better, so I think they’re in a great position,” he said.

They’ve got choices, which is the most important thing, and I’m sure they’ll make the right choices for Richard Petty Motorsports and I fully support them whatever they choose to do.”

RPM switched from Dodge to Ford equipment ahead of the 2010 season.

Ambrose has raced Blue Oval products for all but two of the last 15 years, with the company having played a major role in helping him make the switch to NASCAR.

A two-year stint for Ambrose in Toyota Camrys from 2009 was the result of a tie-up between JTG Daugherty, which had previously fielded Ambrose in Fords, and Michael Waltrip Racing.