Leading NASCAR team owner and businessman Roger Penske has confirmed plans to enter Australia’s awesome V8 Supercars touring car series, starting from the 2015 season. Penske has secured a controlling 51 percent stake in existing V8 Supercars team Dick Johnson Racing (DJR), and will compete under the DJR Team Penske banner.

DJR Team Penske will field a pair of Ford Falcon race cars featuring the exterior styling of the latest 2015 version of the Falcon road car. And one of the drivers will be two-time V8 Supercars champion and NASCAR star Marcos Ambrose. The Aussie is returning home after nine seasons in NASCAR, where he’s racked up seven wins and eight pole positions in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.

A second driver for DJR Team Penske will be announced at a later today. The team aims to contend for the championship with Ambrose in 2016.

“Team Penske is excited to partner with Dick Johnson Racing to compete in the V8 Supercars championship starting next season,” Roger Penske said in a statement. “With our new business ventures in Australia, it makes sense to showcase our brands through the V8 Supercars championship and the opportunity to work with DJR and Marcos Ambrose convinced us to go forward.”

The business ventures Penske is referring to are mostly in the commercial vehicles segment. The Penske Automotive Group has taken over distribution businesses for several international truck brands in Australia and more recently acquired a supplier for truck engines and power systems.

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