Ambrose to close out '08 under Waltrip umbrella

CORNELIUS, N.C. -- In preparation for Sprint Cup Series competition in a Toyota in 2009 with JTG-Daugherty Racing, Marcos Ambrose has agreed to drive the final four races of the season for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Ambrose

The MWR Toyota team, which has carried the No. 00 this season, will switch to car No. 47 for remainder of 2008, starting this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. JTG-Daugherty, co-owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter and former NBA All-Star and ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty, will field Toyotas through a technical alliance with MWR in 2009 for Ambrose.

Frank Kerr, who has been named Ambrose's crew chief for the JTG-Daugherty entry in 2009, will serve as crew chief for the remaining MWR races this season.

"I'm thankful MWR is giving Frankie and me the opportunity to work together these last four races in the equipment we will be running next year," Ambrose said. "Driving Toyotas and working with MWR's engineering staff these last four weeks will really get us ahead of schedule for 2009. Our goal is to learn as much as we can about these cars so we can represent JTG-Daugherty and our sponsors better next year."

Ambrose made his Sprint Cup Series debut at Infineon Raceway and in only seven starts his career-best finish is third-place at Watkins Glen International in the No. 21 Ford fielded by the Wood Brothers.

In 2009, JTG-Daugherty Racing will operate out of MWR's 140,000-square-foot facility in Cornelius, and receive cars, engineering, mechanical and other technical support from MWR's existing infrastructure.

"It's really nice to have a head start on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and integrate Marcos with our team," Waltrip said. "We are pleased that NASCAR worked with us to switch our number so that Marcos and his sponsors have continuity. I, of all people, know the importance of car numbers to sponsors. We are very appreciative that everything worked out. This is a great opportunity for Marcos and it gives him a glimpse of what next season may look like for him. We are really happy about that."