Marcos Ambrose will finally make the step up to NASCAR's premier division in 2008, after agreeing to drive the Little Debbie Ford Fusion in twelve Sprint Cup races.

The announcement coincides with Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing re-signing McKee Foods and its Little Debbie Snack Cakes brand as a primary sponsor for the next two years, extending a relationship that has been running for the past couple of seasons. Little Debbie will serve as the primary sponsor for 18 Cup events in both 2008 and 2009, with alternative sponsor/driver combinations - as well as the identity of the driver for the remaining six Little Debbie-backed events - to be announced at a later date.

“This deal is really exciting," Ambrose admitted, "Little Debbie is a fantastic sponsor, the sort of company that really promotes NASCAR, and I've already been getting to know the McKee family and the people at Little Debbie. They're great people and I'm looking forward to representing them next season.

“For me to get the chance to drive in Cup is huge. 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. When our team is putting in the long hours and we are doing everything we can to get a good result, we know that we've got a great sponsor behind us and good people as well. It's a privilege to be representing them next year.”

As part of his deal, Australian Ambrose will become the new 'pitchman' for all of the Little Debbie cake brands, as well as appearing in all point of sale materials and related items.

“I'm looking forward to [the promotional side of the deal] - and I think my young daughters will enjoy that part of it as well," he smiled, "We already have Little Debbie cakes in our kitchen - maybe we can produce an Australian snack cake for Little Debbie, one with Vegemite in it!

The 31-year old is scheduled to make his first Cup Series appearance at the Infineon Raceway road course round on 22 June, but will continue to drive the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford in the 2008 Nationwide Series, making for a busy season.

“It's full steam ahead for us for next season," he admitted, “This year was our rookie year, we learned a lot and grew as a team. I'm proud of all the work our guys put in this year and they all deserve to be pleased. Kingsford and all of our sponsors on the #59 have been great this year and next year is set to be even better. We have worked hard and have big plans for next season. This year, we developed as a group and now we are putting things in place to take the next step and be in a position to win races and continue to improve.”

Ambrose made his US debut in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series in 2006, before being promoted into the Busch Series for 2007, finishing second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and eighth overall, the first non-North American driver to finish in the top ten in a NASCAR championship - and the first non-US driver since Canadian Earl Ross in 1974.