After a five-year association that has included all three of NASCAR's top touring divisions, JTG Daugherty Racing and Marcos Ambrose have announced that they will part ways at the end of the 2010 Cup Series season.
"JTG Daugherty Racing and our sponsors are obviously huge Marcos Ambrose fans and we are disappointed to see him leave after five great years of building a program together from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, to the Nationwide Series, and into the Sprint Cup Series," said Tad Geschickter, co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing along with Brad Daugherty and Jodi Geschickter. "Marcos is a friend and he is a great talent. He will be an asset to his next team."
The two-time Australian V8 Supercar champion's first appearance with JTG Daugherty Racing was at Martinsville Speedway in 2006 when he made his NASCAR debut in the Truck Series. Ambrose progressed the next year to the Nationwide Series, spending two years in the division before competing full-time in the Cup Series for the organization.
"It has been a great five-year journey for me and JTG Daugherty Racing," Ambrose said. "I am proud of being their driver and of what we have been able to accomplish together. I want to personally thank Tad, Jodi and Brad and the entire race team for everything they have done.
"After five years, I personally felt it was time for a change. I have no firm plans of what will come next for me and my career. I would like to continue in NASCAR and finish off what I started, but I have not discounted returning to Australia."
Ambrose has recorded four top-five and nine top-10 finishes with JTG Daugherty Racing in the Cup Series and has also delivered two Nationwide victories. His career-best Cup finish is a second-place finish at Watkins Glen International last season, although he narrowly missed winning the road race at Infineon Raceway earlier this year.