Ambrose, DJR Team Penske to make December V8 Supercars debut

Marcos Ambrose will make an early return to V8 Supercars with his new DJR Team Penske squad at the Sydney NRMA 500 in December.

The two-time series champion was the dominant force in V8 Supercars before switching to NASCAR. He announced this month he would return to V8 Supercars full time next year joining Roger Penske and Dick Johnson Racing.

His return has been fast-tracked with DJR Team Penske entering a wild card nomination for the Sydney NRMA 500 in what will be a massive boost for the event. V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said having Ambrose in Sydney as an early taste of the Penske arrival next year was a watershed moment for the sport.

"Motorsport fans were blown away with DJR Team Penske joining the Championship so it's fantastic to see Marcos is joining us earlier than expected in Sydney," Warburton said.

DJR announced Ambrose will get his first taste of a Next Generation V8 Supercar at the final round. The team has taken the step of lodging a wild card entry for Ambrose to give him the perfect introduction to his 2015 return to the series.

"This is a great opportunity to give Marcos a good hit out in one of the DJR Falcons before the Clipsal 500 next year. The Sydney NRMA 500 is an ideal hit way for him to not only get a feel for the car, but also an early opportunity to work with the DJR engineers and crew," said team principal Dick Johnson.

"With Marcos finishing the NASCAR series season at Homestead on Nov. 16, we began to work hard on the wild card idea and it has paid off. As we continue ramping up our plans for 2015, this is a great way to give him real race miles," Johnson added.

"I am really pleased that DJR has been able to put the Wildcard deal together for Homebush. I have never driven there, so it will be not only a bonus to do some really good long races, but it also gives me a good look at the track," Marcos Ambrose said. "It will be a fantastic way to kick off our preparations for DJR Team Penske in 2015 and I am really looking forward to getting stuck into it!"

Team Penske's Tim Cindric will also return to Australia, one year on from his first visit to a V8 Supercar event, bringing with him members of the Team Penske IndyCar program to support the DJR effort.