Shane van Gisbergen will be the first Kiwi, but the latest of a handful of Supercars/ATCC stars to take on the NASCAR Cup Series.
Van Gisbergen will make his historic debut at the new Chicago Street Race in July for Trackhouse Racing.
The three-time Supercars champion is set to steer the same #91 Camaro Kimi Raikkonen drove at Watkins Glen last year and Texas in March.
Although van Gisbergen will be the first Kiwi to make a NASCAR Cup Series start, the legendary Jim Richards scored an impressive sixth at an exhibition race held at Suzuka.
Marcos Ambrose 2008-2014
Marcos Ambrose leads four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon at Daytona in the 2013 Coke Zero 400. Photo by Eric Gilbert / Motorsport.com
Van Gisbergen will follow in the footsteps of another former Stone Brothers Racing star Marcos Ambrose in showing Supercars skills to the NASCAR world.
Back to back Supercars champion Ambrose is easily the first name that springs to mind when you think of ATCC/Supercars drivers and NASCAR.
The “Devil Racer” sprung a surprise on the Australian Motorsport world, announcing he will cut short his Supercars career and take on America.
Ambrose was at the peak of his powers when he left Australia in 2005, having won the 2003 and 2004 Supercars championships in the famous Pirtek SBR BA Falcon.
Although the boy from Launceston would eventually conquer the NASCAR Cup Series, he had to do it the hard way.
Marcos Ambrose racing at Texas in the Truck Series in 2006. Image: Dan Streck/USA, LAT Photographic
Ambrose signed to race with Wood Brothers/JTG Racing in the third-tier NASCAR Truck Series, but had to wait until the fourth round to make his debut at Martinsville.
After coming to grips with his Ford across the first eight tough races, the Aussie announced himself with a third place at Kansas.
Another P3 at Nashville would help him finish 21st in the championship, while the most memorable moment was his pole position at Kentucky.
Ambrose stepped up to the second tier Nationwide (now xfinity) Series in 2007 where he made an even bigger impact.
When the series headed to the home of the Canadian Grand Prix, Circuit Gills Villeneuve, Ambrose dominated, only to get intentionally taken out by an angry Robby Gordon.
With a best result of fourth at the Memphis oval, the Tasmanian claimed a solid eighth in the championship.
Although Ambrose dropped to eighth in the 2008 standings, it was a breakthrough year for the driver now behind the wheel of a JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota.
After close calls at Mexico City and Montreal, Ambrose got a historic win at Watkins Glen.
During that same season he also made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Sonoma having failed to qualify at Watkins Glen the previous year.
Marcos Ambrose celebrates his first NASCAR win at Nationwide Series level at Watkins Glen in 2008. Photo by Motorsport Images
The #21 Ford ran in the top three before a spin at the Turn 11 hairpin dropped him to 42nd.
However, Ambrose showed his true potential at his next Cup Series road course race at Watkins Glen.
A day after his first Nationwide Series win, he finished an impressive third behind Cup Series champions Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart.
After competing in the final four races of the 2008 season, Ambrose was a full-time Cup Series star for JTG Daugherty Racing in a #47 Toyota.
With top four results achieved at Talladega, Sonoma, Watkins Glen and Bristol, he scored an impressive career-best 18th championship finish in his first full season.
The 2010 season was plagued with bad luck, highlighted by Sonoma when Ambrose held a 10s lead over Jimmie Johnson when a caution arrived during which his engine shut off.
A subsequent penalty dropped him to seventh and he had to settle for sixth at the chequered flag.
Despite the setback, Ambrose still managed to complete a hat-trick of Nationwide wins at Watkins Glen.
For 2011 Ambrose was back at his spiritual home of Ford, racing for the “King” Richard Petty, in the distinctive yellow and black #9.
Marcos Ambrose releases his emotions after becoming the first Australian to win a NASCAR Cup Series race in 2011. Photo by LAT Photo USA
The fresh new look helped him go all the way to become the first Aussie to win a NASCAR Cup Series race in his 105th start.
It arrived at the happy hunting ground of Watkins Glen and occurred on a Monday after the start was delayed due to rain.
In a finish for the ages, Ambrose bumped his way past initially Busch and Brad Keslowski across a two-lap dash, which finished under caution.
A year later Ambrose and Keslowski found themselves dicing for lead once again at the former home of the United States Grand Prix.
The #9 Ford sat third at the final lap behind Busch and Keslowski, but a last-corner move on the eventual champion sent the Australian to a famous back to back win.
Marcos Ambrose hunted down Brad Keslowski on the final lap at Watkins Glen in 2012. Image by
LAT Photo USA
Ambrose continued to race for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2013 and 2014, but did not return to victory lane despite a number of strong drives.
He took his fifth and final Nationwide Series win at Watkins Glen in 2014 and finished his final Cup Series campaign 23rd in the championship.
All up Ambrose registered 227 Cup Series starts with 46 top 10s in addition to the two famous wins.
Owen Kelly 2013
Owen Kelly driving a Toyota Camry at a 2013, Lexington Nationwide Series race. photo by Scott R LePage LAT Photo USA
Sandown 500 podium finisher and current Trans Am front-runner Owen Kelly has achieved a lot in Australian motorsport, but he has also spent lots of time in America.
Although Kelly’s last Bathurst 1000 start was in 2012, he made six NASCAR starts between 2010 and 2016.
Five of them came in the Xfinity Series where he scored a best result of fourth at Road America in 2013 for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Following a number of solid second-tier performances, which even included relief drives for Ambrose and Busch, Kelly received a Cup Series debut in 2013.
His drive was a #51 Phoenix Racing Chev at Watkins Glen and had a consistent weekend, qualifying 23rd and finishing 24th, seven-spots ahead of Ambrose.
Geoff Brabham 1994
Geoff Brabham at pit road in the 1994 Brickyard 400. Image: AussieStockCarNews.com
Geoff Brabham was another Aussie to make a one-off appearance at NASCAR Cup Series level.
Having already enjoyed plenty of success in the States being a four-time IMSA champ and 12-time Indianapolis 500 racer, Brabham had a crack at stock car racing.
He raced at the inaugural Brickyard 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a #07 Kmart backed Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford.
After crashing on Lap 130, Brabham finished 38th.
Dick Johnson 1989-1990
Dick Johnson in action at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1990. Image: Supercars.com
Ambrose followed in the footsteps of his former team boss Dick Johnson, who is another Ford folk hero to take on America’s best.
In the same year as Johnson and John Bowe drove to Great Race glory, the Queenslander also ventured off to the states.
Having been part of the inaugural NASCAR exhibition race at the Thunderdome, Johnson tried his hand at a selection of Winston Cup races across the 1989 and 1990 seasons on both ovals and road courses.
Although his best result was a P22 at the tri-turn Pocono Raceway, Johnson’s personality left a lasting impression with him calling Petty “a prick” on live radio after being spun by the “King” at Sonoma.
Allan Grice 1987-1989
Allan Grice at Charlotte in 1987. Image: Supercars.com
Another famous ATCC star to race in the NASCAR Cup Series was Allan Grice.
The 1986 and 1990 Bathurst 1000 winner got two Cup Series starts in one of the series’ biggest races.
In 1987 Grice became the first Australian to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a #03 Fosters supported Olds and finished 35th.
A year later Grice returned with his own team, sporting a #47 Pontiac but he could only finish one place higher.
Although that was his second and final Cup Series start, another drive with RahMoc Engineering had been lined up in 1991, only for a freak testing crash instigated by a loose steering wheel brought it to a sudden end.
Frank Gardner 1968
Australia’s Frank Gardner made a one-off NASCAR Cup Series appearance.
The first ATCC driver and Australian to make a NASCAR Cup Series start was Frank Gardner.
Gardner achieved the historic feat at Rockingham in the 1968 America 500 driving a #11 Ford Torino.
Despite blowing an engine as early as lap 2, Gardner still reached the finish in 44th place.
The NASCAR race occurred three years after his eighth and final Formula 1 Grand Prix and eight years before his one-off ATCC appearance where he finished third at Sandown.
Other Australians to go NASCAR Cup Series racing are Tony Spanos, Terry Byers, Robin Best and James Davison, while Charlie O’Brien failed to qualify for the 1994 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 and Coca-Cola World 600 at Charlotte.
Pictures and information sourced from Aussiestockcarnews.com