Four liveries for Ambrose in '09 Sprint Cup campaign

Marcos Ambrose will campaign four different liveries on his Michael Waltrip Racing-built machinery in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009.

Ambrose and JTG Daugherty Racing will alternate the livery of the #47 entry throughout the season, with Little Debbie, Kingsford, Clorox and Bush's Beans all part of the 2009 programme.

Ambrose will have around 14 cars at his disposal for the 36 races in this year's Sprint Cup Series, the top level of NASCAR. As part of the technical alliance that JTG Daugherty Racing has formed with Michael Waltrip Racing, Ambrose's cars will be built and maintained out of the 140,000 square foot MWR facility in Cornelius, North Carolina.

The MWR team was formed in 2007 and is co-owned by two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and businessman Robert Kaufmann.

At the helm of MWR's engineering department are Adelaide-born technical director Nick Hughes and newly appointed director of competition Steve Hallam, who joined the team in the off-season from the McLaren F1 team.

Hughes moved to the United States to work for Penske Racing Shocks, before moving into the NASCAR industry with Evernham Motorsports, working on the #9 car of Kasey Kahne.

While working with that team, Hughes gave Ambrose a tour of the team garage at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2003. This was Ambrose's first taste of NASCAR action and the start of his switch from V8 Supercar racing to NASCAR.

Hughes and Ambrose will now be working together, the two countrymen excited about the prospects of the MWR operation and the #47 JTG Daugherty Racing entry ahead of this season.

"I've always had a huge amount of respect for Marcos, I've paid a lot of attention to his career over the years in Australia," said Hughes.

"I really never imagined that he would be over here racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and I would be working with him, but that fact that that's happened I think is fantastic."

Hallam comes to MWR with 27 years of experience in Formula One with Lotus and McLaren. In the role as head of race operations at McLaren, Hallam played a pivotal role in Lewis Hamilton winning last year's F1 world title, the fifth world championship that Hallam has been involved with in his time in F1.

"It would have been easy to stay at McLaren until I retired," said Hallam. "But what attracted me to Michael Waltrip Racing was the opportunity to work with a young team and, in particular, to be part of the continued development and growth of the multi-car Cup operation as they strive to provide the best equipment and support for their teams."

With MWR's expertise in charge of Ambrose's machinery for 2009, JTG Daugherty Racing has also confirmed a full sponsorship programme for Ambrose's #47 machine.

Little Debbie Snack Foods will have the largest presence with at least 18 races this season featuring the McKee Foods brand on the #47 Toyota Camry.

The Clorox Company, a long time sponsor of Tad and Jodi Geschickter's team, will sponsor Ambrose in at least 12 races this season with it's Kingsford and Clorox brands, making this the third-straight season that Ambrose will suit up in the colours of Kingsford Charcoal.

Bush's Beans, an associate sponsor on Ambrose's #59 Nationwide Series entry for the past two seasons, is stepping up with Ambrose to also make its debut in the top level of NASCAR. Bush's Beans will serve as the primary sponsor for two races this season in back to back races in Richmond and Darlington in May.

Jay Bush and 'Duke' even came along to Charlotte to see the new #47 Bush's Beans Toyota Camry first hand.

"We have some sensational sponsors on board for this season and the cars all look great," said Ambrose.

"We are very lucky to have such great sponsors and they are all great people as well and really part of the JTG Daugherty Racing family.

"It's going to be great to get out on track in these race cars. MWR is a team on the up and they really have very smart people involved in the engineering side of things.

"When you put it all together we have some really great things happening this season."

Ambrose's participation in NASCAR Nationwide Series is still to be confirmed, but whatever the case it will not be a full-time schedule, with full attention going towards the Australian's first season in the top-level Sprint Cup Series.

Ambrose is a likely, but unconfirmed, starter for the two Nationwide Series races in August, at Watkins Glen International - where Ambrose is the defending race winner - and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, where Ambrose has led the most laps for two consecutive years only to have luck go against him.

Ambrose will become the first Australian to race in the world-famous Daytona 500 when he takes the start for the opening race in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next month.