It was a move that sent shockwaves through the motorsports community. At the height of his Supercars career, Marcos Ambrose made a dramatic switch, leaving behind his golden era in the land down under to chase a career in NASCAR, right after winning two V8 championships. A mix of frustration over how his image was used, the feeling of “getting too big for your own boots,” and the desire to test himself on a bigger stage pushed him to take that leap. However, Ambrose’s move wasn’t impulsive.

Even before the 2005 season began, he marked out a path to the US, meeting key Ford Motorsport figures and securing a spot in the development program. With a young family in tow, it was definitely both a challenge and an adventure. And now, as the veteran has taken a step back from racing, the 49-year-old details his big leap.

A Kellogg’s box forced Ambrose’s hand

Speaking on the Apex Hunters United podcast, the Australian didn’t hold back from truly speaking his mind. It all started with him wanting more control over his image. Marcos Ambrose said, “So we turn up one day and I buy some Kellogg’s, you know, and my face is on the back of the sanitarium box and I go, ‘Well, how does this happen?’ … so I got upset with that..and yeah, and they said, ‘Well, if you don’t like it, go somewhere else.’ … So I went somewhere else. That’s kind of part of the reason why.”

And that’s when it all changed; with a few meetings here and there, Ford backed Ambrose’s transition to NASCAR by placing him in a development deal ahead of the 2006 season. He joined Wood Brothers/JTG Racing in the Truck Series, but he didn’t start immediately. NASCAR didn’t clear him for the season’s first three high-speed races due to his limited experience. When he finally made his debut at Martinsville later that year, he showed promise, qualifying mid-pack and earning his first top finishes later in the season, including a historic third place at Kansas Speedway, a strong start for a rookie.

Once he moved up the ladder, Ambrose proved to be one of NASCAR’s most dangerous road course specialists. Across his Xfinity and Cup Series career, he notched seven wins, five in the second-tier and two in the Cup, all on road or street circuits. In the Cup Series, he ran 227 races, earning 18 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes, with his best season ranking being 18th in both 2019 and 2012. His 2 Cup victories came at Watkins Glen in 2011 and 2012, underscoring just how effective he was on road courses.

Moreover, Ambrose has been very clear about how crucial Ford Racing’s Dan Davis and marketing executive John Szymanski were to his move to NASCAR. He once said, “John Szymanski and Dan Davis from Ford Racing really helped me get the association with JTG in the very, very beginning.” Their support wasn’t just financial. They believed in him, backed his development, and helped open the pathway to America, laying the foundation for his career in NASCAR.

Speaking about Davis and Szymanski, he added, “So, I thought I’d start there. No, no, Marcos, you got to do NASCAR. Okay. Well, can you write me a letter and I’ll come over? Yeah. We’re going to do a development program or something. We’re not sure what it’s going to look like yet, but you know, it’s going to be something. And that’s the letter I used to go talk to Ford Australia, go talk to Stone Brothers, and the decision was made before the 2005 season even started.”

After nearly a decade in NASCAR, Ambrose decided to return to Australia at the end of the 2014 season, citing a sense that he “had flattened off my learning curve” and was ready to come home. He rejoined the Supercars grid with DJR Team Penske. By 2015, he stepped back from a full-time seat to reset, having experienced burnout from all his years in NASCAR, as well as the challenge of readapting to Supercars. He went on to focus on endurance events while spending more time with family. However, cancer proved to be the final stumbling block, and Marcos Ambrose recently mentioned how it proved to be career-ending.

But amidst all this, Ambrose learned to pick himself up and is still the most beloved Aussie in NASCAR. However, amid showering praise on Kyle Larson and spending time away from racing, Ford recently declared a sweet and moving gesture to restore the 49-year-old’s legacy.

Ford honors Marcos Ambrose’s legacy in a heart-touching gesture

Ford Performance is launching a brand-new one-make series in Australia called Mustang Cup Australia, set to debut next year. The series will run on the SRO SpeedSeries platform and will feature identical Mustang Dark Horse R cars, specifically built for racing. The format will include qualifying and a 40-minute race on both Saturday and Sunday, each round, giving drivers plenty of track time. And what surprised Marcos was something far better.

Drivers who are in the series will have the flexibility to compete either solo or as a pair. When two drivers share a car, one will race on Saturday, earning points for the Dick Johnson Cup, and the other on Sunday, earning points for the Marcos Ambrose Cup.

Marcos Ambrose, whose name will grace one of the trophies, has warmly endorsed the new series. He said, “I’ve driven for a lot of other manufacturers around the world, but none are as close to my heart as Ford and my time racing here in Australia with the Blue Oval. We had a great time together, we had a huge fanbase, we did a lot of winning, and it really was just a glorious time to be around motorsport and the Ford brand.”

This underscores the relationship that literally made his NASCAR career, and Ford couldn’t help but retain the legacy of a man who brought a fresh crowd from an international land. He didn’t shy away from a friendly rivalry either, saying, “You can raise for the Ambrosse cup of the Johnson cup, but my trophy is going to be bigger! So you better race for the bigger one!”

Beyond the main classes, there’s also a Dark Horse Junior Class for drivers under 19, Dark Horse Legends for those aged 40 or over, and an overall Dark Horse Championship. The race weekends are built to be accessible, competitive, and a genuine stepping stone in Ford’s motorsport ladder, especially for young or grassroots races.