When Marcos Ambrose decided he would part ways with JTG/Daugherty Racing, the first telephone call he made was to Ford, the manufacturer that had launched his career in V8 Supercars in Australia. The second call he made was to Richard Petty Motorsports.

"It was fairly straightforward, to be honest with you," Ambrose said. "They expressed interest in me driving for them, I expressed my interest in driving for them. I didn't talk to anyone else. We just went down the path and tried to put the deal together."

“

It was safe over there for me. I wasn't going to get fired. But it's not what I came to NASCAR to do. ... I felt like it was time for a change, and I had to re-up it if I wanted to make it in the sport.

”

-- MARCOS AMBROSE

And that path led to Tuesday, when the 33-year-old Tasmania native formally announced that he would take over RPM's No. 9 car beginning next season, with tool company Stanley on board as sponsor. Ambrose will replace Kasey Kahne, who will drive for Red Bull Racing next season before joining powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.

Ambrose said Tuesday he wasn't sure who the crew chief would be; Kenny Francis, current crew chief on the No. 9 car and a central figure in Kahne's rise to prominence on the Sprint Cup tour, has yet to firm up his 2011 plans. Also uncertain is the size of the RPM team for next season. The organization currently fields four cars, but Paul Menard and his Menards sponsorship are bound for Richard Childress Racing, and Elliott Sadler does not have a contract for next season. The only current RPM driver who does is A.J. Allmendinger, who earlier this month announced an extension to remain in the No. 43 car.

Soon he'll be joined by Ambrose, who hopes a multi-car environment and assistance from Ford and Roush Fenway Racing will be enough to allow him to fulfill the promise he carried with him from Australia to the United States five years ago.

"I absolutely feel pressure, I've got myself a dream opportunity," Ambrose said. "Naturally, there is pressure associated with that, but as a race car driver, all you can ask for is to put yourself in these opportunities. I've been able to do that, and now the rest is my job. If I can't get then to Victory Lane and can't do what I believe I can, there will be no question marks left. It's very, very simple. That's really the quest I'm on."

Ambrose came from road-course racing and excels on the Cup Series tracks where drivers make right as well as left turns, finishing a career-best second at Watkins Glen and blowing an almost certain victory at Sonoma earlier this year when he stopped his car under caution trying to save fuel in the final laps. But Ambrose knows that to contend in NASCAR he has to improve on ovals, particularly the intermediate ovals that dominate the circuit, but didn't feel like he saw enough growth in that area during his time at JTG/Daugherty.

"It was tough. I was safe," he said. "It was safe over there for me. I wasn't going to get fired. But it's not what I came to NASCAR to do. ... I felt like it was time for a change, and I had to re-up it if I wanted to make it in the sport."

JTG/Daugherty is a single-car team that uses Toyota equipment and has an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing. Bobby Labonte will replace Ambrose in the organization's No. 47 car for next season. Although Ambrose was always a threat to win on road courses and had some nice finishes at half-mile Bristol and the big Talladega track, he felt like he needed more.

"There's no hiding in premier sports. No disrespect to JTG/Daugherty or Toyota or anyone involved in my existing program, but we were a one-car team with a good technical partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing. We had issues to deal with that other teams don't. I'm not sure why we haven't contended better on intermediate ovals and above," Ambrose said.

"We all see what happens at road courses, and Bristol, and super speedways and whatnot. But we haven't been fast enough, consistent enough on the ovals, and that's a question that needs to be answered. That's a primary reason why I thought I needed to make a change. Was it me? Was it the situation with the partner? Was it the situation with the one-car team? What was it that was the deficit?

"This team, particularly with the resources they have and the people that are around them, will allow me to answer those questions. I believe I'm as good as anyone out there and can win four championships just like Jimmie Johnson has done. I believe that honestly within myself. But until you get to the point where you can prove what you've got, it's very hard to be sure.

Related:
• Ambrose, RPM ink multi-year agreement
• Ambrose has 'unfinished business' in NASCAR