Ford pullout from V8 Supercars won't change Team Penske plans for Marcos Ambrose

    Team Penske officials say Ford Motor Co.'s decision to withdraw factory support from the Australian V8 Supercars series after the 2015 season won't affect its plans to partner with Dick Johnson Racing to field an entry with driver Marcos Ambrose next season.

   "This isn’t anything new to us and it doesn't really affect our plans for 2015 as this has been Ford's message to us throughout this year as we prepared for this new program with Marcos and DJR Team Penske," Penske vice president for marketing and communications Jonathan Gibson told the Observer.

   On Monday, Ford announced it would not be renewing any of its team sponsorships in the V8 Supercars following the 2015 season. 

   "Ford is transforming our entire business – from our product lineup to the consumer experience – with major investments that meant we had to make difficult decisions such as not renewing our V-8 Supercars teams’ sponsorships after the 2015 season,” a statement from the company read.

   In September, Penske announced it was fielding a team in conjunction with DJR for Ambrose in V8 Supercars. Ambrose had decided to return to his native Australia after a nine-year NASCAR career, most recently with Richard Petty Motorsports.

   Ambrose won the V8 Supercars title in 2003 and 2004. The Penske/DJR team still plans to race Ford Falcons in 2015.