Ambrose to make 12 Cup Series starts in No. 21 Ford

Marcos Ambrose has been confirmed as the driver of the No. 21 Ford Fusion for 12 races in next year's Sprint Cup Series, the top division of NASCAR.

Ambrose, 31, is scheduled to make his first Sprint Cup appearance at the Infineon Raceway road course in Sonoma, Calif., on June 22.

"For me to get the chance to drive in Cup is huge," Ambrose said. "I am going to give it everything I've got and do our team and all our great sponsors proud. It's just a fantastic opportunity for me. I'm not taking it for granted; I'm going to make every effort to reward the team's faith in me."

The announcement coincides with Wood Brothers / JTG Racing re-signing with McKee Foods and its Little Debbie Snack Cakes brand as a primary sponsor for the next two years, extending on the relationship of the past two seasons.

Little Debbie will serve as the primary sponsor for 18 Sprint Cup events in the 2008 season and again in the 2009 season. Additional driver lineups for the remaining six Little Debbie events will be announced at a later date, as will other sponsor / driver combinations for 2008.

Ambrose will continue to drive the No. 59 Ford Fusion in the 2008 Nationwide Series, meaning it will be a busy schedule for the former two-time Australian V8 Supercar champion, with a full 35-race program in the second-tier Nationwide Series and a current schedule of 12 races in the top-flight Sprint Cup, with the potential for more Cup appearances.

Ambrose made his NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in the 2006 season and was summarily promoted into the Busch Series in 2007. This season Ambrose finished second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and eighth in the overall standings, the first non-North American driver to finish in the top 10 overall in a NASCAR championship and the first non-U.S. driver since Canadian Earl Ross in 1974.

"Yes, it's a big challenge to run against the biggest names in the sport in my third year over here, but it's what I'm here to do," Ambrose said. "I've always said that I enjoyed running in Busch [now Nationwide] races when there were a lot of Cup guys running as well because you had a benchmark and you could compare yourself to them.

"Now I've got my chance to run some races in the big league and I am going to try my very best, see how we go and learn every step of the way."