Former Australian V8 Supercars driver turned NASCAR Cup Series driver Marcos Ambrose loved his daughters like anything, and in fact, his daughters were the first ones he would reconnect with after a long weekend of racing, as he once admitted. And now his daughter, Tabitha Ambrose, is ready to give him a sense of nostalgia by driving the NASCAR machine he once drove for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Tabitha will drive Marcos’ No. 9 Ford Fusion, the same car he drove in NASCAR Cup Series victories at Watkins Glen in 2011 and 2012. His first opportunity to get behind the wheel of his father’s winning race car will come during a Feb. 4 test day conducted under the supervision of Warren Luff, co-driver with Ambrose at the 2005 Supercars enduros. And then it will be followed by an appearance public at the Repco Adelaide Motorsport Festival from February 28 to March 1.
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Lately, Marcos and Tabitha have increasingly appeared together at major motorsport gatherings, promoting events such as the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and the Adelaide Grand Final. In these roles, they serve as “Fanbassadors,” connecting generations of fans to the sport.
Tabitha is currently a rising racing talent in her own right, treading a path that mirrors her father’s early climbs, while remaining distinctly her own. As of now, it competes in the Formula Ford series and has already turned heads by sporting liveries that echo Marcos’ championship-winning machines.
His racing record already includes a class victory at the Bathurst Six Hours, a first step which proved his adaptability and racing skills. Alongside her Formula Ford commitments, Tabitha spent last season driving a selection of historic racing cars and is now preparing to make the transition to top-level racing.
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Tabitha’s recent campaigns also feature strong visual connections to her father’s legacy. She competed in the 2025 Formula Ford season wearing PIRTEK colors, the same brand Marcos wore when he won the Supercars championship titles in 2003 and 2004.
During Marcos’ time in NASCAR, he drove for over seven seasons in the Cup Series, making 227 starts and winning two races. He never won a championship, but gained a reputation as a master of road racing, much like Shane van Gisbergen at that point in NASCAR.
After 2014 Cup Series season, Ambrose stepped away from professional racing and returned to Tasmania. But the distance from the competition has not altered his relationship with speed. The former competitor even openly acknowledged the possibility of his daughter racing in NASCAR one day. For now, as Tabitha prepares to drive the stock car that took her father to Cup Series victories, that possibility could begin to take real shape.
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