Marcos Ambrose was born on 1 September 1976 and is an Australian former racing driver and current Garry Rogers Motorsport competition director.
105 Facts About Marcos Ambrose
2.
Marcos Ambrose won the Australian V8 Supercar series' championship in 2003 and 2004.
3.
In 2006, Ambrose relocated to the United States to pursue racing in NASCAR, starting with the Camping World Truck Series.
4.
Marcos Ambrose moved up to the Nationwide Series in 2007, and later the Sprint Cup Series in 2008.
5.
Marcos Ambrose is known in NASCAR for having won a total of 6 races at Watkins Glen.
6.
Marcos Ambrose won his last race during the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide series at the Glen.
7.
Marcos Ambrose grew up in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, the son of another racing driver, Ross Marcos Ambrose and was educated at Scotch Oakburn College.
8.
Marcos Ambrose began racing karts at the age of ten.
9.
Marcos Ambrose won four Tasmanian state junior karting titles and was the Australian karting champion in 1995 in the Clubman Heavy class at the Dubbo circuit in New South Wales.
10.
Marcos Ambrose finished second in the Australian Formula Ford championship in 1997.
11.
In 1998 Marcos Ambrose moved to Europe in a bid to reach Formula One, competing in British Formula Ford in 1998 and 1999.
12.
Marcos Ambrose won against a host of young drivers in Honda road cars.
13.
Marcos Ambrose represented Australia in the 1996 EFDA Nations Cup at Donington Park in England.
14.
For 2001, Marcos Ambrose was signed by Stone Brothers Racing to drive a Ford Falcon AU.
15.
Marcos Ambrose stunned the Supercars Championship world when he qualified on pole on debut, at the Australian Grand Prix support race.
16.
Marcos Ambrose went on to finish eighth in the championship, winning the Rookie of the Year award.
17.
Marcos Ambrose won the fourth round of the season, at Hidden Valley Raceway, although he did not win any of the three races in the round.
18.
In 2002, Marcos Ambrose started the season winning pole position at Phillip Island before recording his debut race win in the first race.
19.
Marcos Ambrose eventually finished third in the championship, including winning the final round at Sandown.
20.
Marcos Ambrose followed this up with a third career win at Eastern Creek After 13 rounds in the 2003 V8 Supercar Series, Ambrose was presented with the driver's series trophy, 102 points clear of second place.
21.
In 2004, Marcos Ambrose claimed three pole positions and five round wins and went into the final round at Eastern Creek with a virtually unbeatable lead.
22.
Marcos Ambrose won the coveted Barry Sheene Medal in 2003 and 2004.
23.
Marcos Ambrose started 2005 with a clean sweep of the opening round in Adelaide.
24.
Marcos Ambrose remained in the championship lead and was near to winning the championship until Round 10 at the Bathurst 1000 when he was involved in a controversial crash with Greg Murphy approaching The Cutting late in the race.
25.
Marcos Ambrose was quoted after the race was finished with his title hopes;.
26.
Marcos Ambrose thereafter supported teammate Russell Ingall's title bid successfully, and the two helped Ford and Stone Brothers Racing take the Drivers, Teams, and Manufacturer's championships.
27.
Marcos Ambrose finished third in the championship behind Ingall and fellow Ford driver Craig Lowndes.
28.
Marcos Ambrose began the 2015 season on a low note, starting near the back of the field in every one of the race.
29.
In March 2015, Marcos Ambrose took a temporary leave from DJR Team Penske in order to improve his practice with V8 Supercar racing, being replaced with Scott Pye.
30.
Marcos Ambrose returned for the three-round Pirtek Endurance Cup as Pye's second driver, claiming an eighth finish at Surfers Paradise race 1.
31.
Marcos Ambrose did not return as a full-season driver in 2016.
32.
Marcos Ambrose made a brief return to racing at the 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour, which is part of the Bathurst Motor Festival held during the Easter weekend.
33.
Marcos Ambrose raced as a co-driver alongside George Miedecke and Tim Brook in the number 33 Ford Mustang.
34.
Marcos Ambrose retired from the race after the Mustang's 10-speed automatic transmission failed after two hours into the race.
35.
At the first V8 Supercar race of 2005, Marcos Ambrose called a press conference on the Saturday morning to announce to the top staff and fans that he would leave V8 Supercars at the end of the 2005 season to try to make a career in NASCAR.
36.
However, Marcos Ambrose had to wait until part way through the 2006 season to begin.
37.
Marcos Ambrose made his Truck Series debut on 1 April 2006 at the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd after being caught up in an incident unfolding in front of him.
38.
Marcos Ambrose made history by finishing third in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on 2 July 2006.
39.
Marcos Ambrose took the lead in the opening laps, becoming the first Australian to lead laps in Camping World Truck Series competition.
40.
Marcos Ambrose finished 3rd in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway after qualifying 11th.
41.
Marcos Ambrose reached as high as 19th in the championship points, but finished the season 21st overall and 3rd in the Rookie of the Year standings, despite having missed the first three races of the year.
42.
Marcos Ambrose followed up his 8th-place finish in Mexico City with another top 10, finishing 10th in the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas.
43.
At the 2007 NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Marcos Ambrose was the dominant driver of the day, having led for 37 laps.
44.
At the next corner, Marcos Ambrose rammed the left-rear of Gordon's car, spinning him out under yellow.
45.
Marcos Ambrose finished the 2007 season 8th in the points standings, highest of any driver not competing in the Nextel Cup, and finished second behind David Ragan in the Rookie of the Year standings.
46.
On Sunday 20 April 2008 Marcos Ambrose was involved in a racing incident with Boris Said in the Busch Series event in Mexico.
47.
Marcos Ambrose admitted "getting into the back" of road course specialist, Said, causing Said to wreck and ruining his chances at a race where Said has consistently finished in the top 10.
48.
However, later that year at Watkins Glen when Marcos Ambrose was leading the NBNS race, in the final five laps he took the lead and with 2 laps left he raced behind the bumper of a lapped Boris Said.
49.
Marcos Ambrose was scheduled to drive for both teams in Sprint Cup competition in 2008.
50.
Marcos Ambrose was going to run twelve races in the No 21 car for the Wood Brothers and another four in the No 47 car for JTG Racing.
51.
Marcos Ambrose ran well in the Toyota-Save Mart 350 at Infineon, qualifying 7th out of 47 drivers and was running in the top three, but his No 21 spun through the famous Turn 11 hairpin and blowing his transmission, finishing a disappointing 42nd in the 43-car field.
52.
Marcos Ambrose attempted to make his second career Sprint Cup start in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire, but failed to qualify, qualifying 45 out of 45.
53.
Marcos Ambrose almost won the 2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200, dominating again like in 2007 but when a thunderstorm blew the track, Ambrose tried to slow for a pit stop.
54.
Marcos Ambrose ended up third in the final results behind race winner Ron Fellows.
55.
On 15 July 2008, it was announced that Marcos Ambrose would run the full 2009 cup schedule with JTG Racing with a new partnership with Brad Daugherty.
56.
Marcos Ambrose got his first Nationwide Series win on 9 August 2008 in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen after his heartbreak at Montreal the previous week.
57.
Marcos Ambrose drove the No 47 Toyota in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup series, after forming a technical alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota Racing Development.
58.
Marcos Ambrose drove the last 4 races of the 2008 Sprint Cup series in the No 47 Toyota, after NASCAR agreed to change MWR's car number from No 00 to No 47.
59.
Marcos Ambrose entered Homestead with the No 47 in the Top 35, earning him a guaranteed start for the first time in his career.
60.
However, a bad finish at Homestead put the team back out of the Top 35, so Marcos Ambrose would have been required to qualify on time for the first five races of 2009.
61.
Marcos Ambrose is ineligible for 2009 Rookie of the Year consideration because he ran 11 races in 2008.
62.
Marcos Ambrose finished 10th in the 2009 Food City 500, despite losing a cylinder with about 100 laps to go.
63.
Marcos Ambrose got his second straight Nationwide Series win at Watkins Glen, his second in two years as he held off Kyle Busch for the win.
64.
Marcos Ambrose followed up with a 2nd place in the Sprint Cup race at the Glen.
65.
Marcos Ambrose picked up a top ten finish at the 2009 Sharpie 500.
66.
Marcos Ambrose charged hard from being 1 lap down with less than 100 laps left, to finish in third place behind Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.
67.
However, in the Zippo 200 at The Glen, Marcos Ambrose won his third straight Watkins Glen he held off Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick to win.
68.
Marcos Ambrose's lead got erased by a caution on lap 104.
69.
Marcos Ambrose finished 37th in his first race with the team at the Daytona 500, after being crashed out of contention in a 15 car wreck in turn 3 on lap 29.
70.
Marcos Ambrose went on to have an impressive race at Phoenix running in the top 10 for most of the day.
71.
Marcos Ambrose further vindicated his road course abilities, backing up under a week later by taking an emotional victory at Montreal in the Nationwide Series, during the NAPA Auto Parts 200.
72.
Marcos Ambrose finished the 2011 season 19th in the final point standings.
73.
Marcos Ambrose said after the race that despite losing the Shootout the race was his best performance on a restrictor plate track.
74.
Marcos Ambrose started the season with a 13th-place finish in the Daytona 500, and in the spring races, collected six top-twenty finishes and two top-ten finishes.
75.
Marcos Ambrose was very emotional about his win due to his father seeing it on television in a hospital for an illness and due to his luck that day.
76.
Marcos Ambrose drove in the top ten for a part of the Daytona 500 but when Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart crashed out of the race, Marcos Ambrose slowed down to avoid being involved in the accident, causing him to drive for the rest of the race further back in the field.
77.
Marcos Ambrose recorded another 18th-place finish at Phoenix and a 22nd-place finish at Las Vegas.
78.
Marcos Ambrose was on his way to a good finish in the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway before crashing with Jeff Burton and finishing a lap down.
79.
Marcos Ambrose recovered for a 14th-place finish at Talladega, one of his top 2013 finishes.
80.
At Sonoma, Marcos Ambrose led the first laps of the race getting by pole-sitter Jamie McMurray at the start of the race.
81.
At Loudon, Marcos Ambrose fought Harvick in the opening laps for a top ten spot.
82.
Marcos Ambrose led 51 laps but on lap 60, he pitted under caution.
83.
Marcos Ambrose was visibly upset with Papis in the aftermath, furiously tossing his steering wheel at the in-car camera, tossing his helmet hard through his window, and pointing his finger at Papis when Papis came by under caution.
84.
Marcos Ambrose made a Nationwide Series return at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course's Nationwide Children's Hospital 200.
85.
Marcos Ambrose had to start in the back as he did not qualify the car.
86.
Marcos Ambrose made it up to third, but was then spun out numerous times, falling to 16th.
87.
Marcos Ambrose rallied to finish in 7th place but was spun out by Parker Kligerman after the checkered flag for previous contact during the race.
88.
Marcos Ambrose started with a seventh-place finish in the Sprint Unlimited, and an 18th-place finish in the Daytona 500.
89.
Marcos Ambrose then had 21st and 24th-place finishes at Phoenix and Las Vegas.
90.
At Bristol, Marcos Ambrose finished fifth in what was statistically one of Richard Petty Motorsports' best races to date, as teammate Aric Almirola finished third.
91.
At Richmond, Marcos Ambrose was running in the top five of the Richmond 400.
92.
Marcos Ambrose was fined $25,000 and Mears $15,000 for the altercation.
93.
Marcos Ambrose finished 10th at Daytona for a top-ten finish while his teammate Aric Almirola won the race when rain had shortened the event.
94.
Marcos Ambrose returned to the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen in the No 09.
95.
Marcos Ambrose dominated the race and won his 5th Nationwide victory holding off Kyle Busch in a performance reminiscent of 2009.
96.
Marcos Ambrose missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup and on 11 September 2014 said he did not expect to be back with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015.
97.
In September 2014, Marcos Ambrose confirmed he would leave RPM and NASCAR at the end of the 2014 season with a purpose to return to Australia.
98.
Marcos Ambrose stated that it was for both personal reasons for his children and because he had accepted an offer to join DJR Team Penske, co-owned by NASCAR owner Roger Penske.
99.
Marcos Ambrose struggled with a poor-handling car, and hit the wall on lap 195, but managed to finish 27th and on the lead lap.
100.
Marcos Ambrose grew up in Launceston and found racing as his hobby.
101.
Marcos Ambrose became a race-car driver and was noticed by team owners of the Supercars Championship series.
102.
Marcos Ambrose's father is an Australian investor in Ford named Ross Ambrose.
103.
The Ambrose family have a rich history in this formula as Marcos' father Ross Ambrose, along with Ralph Firman Sr, co-founded Formula Ford chassis builder Van Diemen.
104.
Marcos Ambrose is married to Sonja Ambrose and has two daughters named Adelaide and Tabitha.
105.
On 24 October 2000, Marcos Ambrose was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his motor racing achievements.