MARCOS Ambrose’s great American dream is over.

The two-time V8 Supercars champion has announced that he is quitting racing in NASCAR at the end of 2014 and returning home to Australia.

A statement released by his team, Richard Petty Motorsport, confirmed it was “a personal decision” by Ambrose.

“Marcos Ambrose has informed the organisation that he will return to his native home of Australia in 2015,” the statement read.

The question now turns to Ambrose’s plans when he arrives, the 38-year-old having been repeatedly linked to a return to the V8 racing he dominated a decade ago.

Ambrose shocked the Australian motorsport community in early 2005 when he announced plans to turn his back on V8 Supercars, where he was the reigning two-time champion, to try and carve out a career in NASCAR. His strong ties with Ford, forged by his two V8 title wins for the Blue Oval, helped smooth his passage.

He started out in the third-tier Trucks series in 2006 where, despite having never raced on an oval previously, Ambrose took a pole position along with a pair of top-five finishes. His first victory came just two years later in the Nationwide Series at the Watkins Glen road course, a circuit he would dominate in years to come.

A string of impressive performances on the ovals earned him a full-time drive in the premier Sprint Cup Series in 2009.

His greatest success came when he linked up with Richard Petty Motorsport in 2011, scoring the first win for an Australian in NASCAR’s top series when he claimed victory at Watkins Glen, backing it up the following year.

But he now looks unlikely to achieve his stated goal of winning a race on an oval. His best result remains a pair of thirds at Dover and Bristol, among 18 top-five and 44 top-ten finishes, capped off by three pole positions. His successes made him one of the highest-earning Australian sportspeople.

While he appeared to click with the RPM operation, the hoped-for success never quite came. The underfunded operation has struggled to keep up with NASCAR’s goliath multi-car squads, with Ambrose struggling to crack regular top 10 finishes on the ovals he longed to conquer.

NASCAR legend Richard Petty, a winner of 200 races in the sport’s top tier, paid tribute to Ambrose’s achievements and the attitude he brought to the team.

“Marcos will always be a part of our extended racing family,” Petty said.

“He came over to the United States with his family and dedicated his time here to giving it the best he had each week. I couldn’t ask anything more from Marcos and his commitment on and off of the track to our race team and our partners.”

Ambrose came within an ace of returning to Australia once before, but Ford Performance Racing’s bid to lure him home fell through.

He has more recently been linked to Roger Penske’s reported entry in to V8 Supercars, and the American magnate’s bid to buy into Dick Johnson Racing is still progressing slowly.

But it remains to be seen whether Ambrose’s return home will see him returning to the racetrack or calling time on a decorated career.