Brodie Kostecki has Supercars ambitions to fulfil before he might pursue a career in NASCAR, according to Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan.
Kostecki is committed to the team for 2024 under the terms of his ongoing contract, although Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen and Erebus’s other current driver, Will Brown, were in a similar situation until recent days/weeks.
Van Gisbergen would be released from Triple Eight in order to facilitate his inevitable switch to NASCAR, and Brown by Erebus owner Betty Klimenko in order to replace the three-time Supercars champion at Banyo.
Both van Gisbergen and Kostecki were in action in the NASCAR Cup Series last weekend, although there is no credible suggestion that the latter will also make a career change next year.
Indeed, the Supercars championship leader told Speedcafe he is keen for more road course action before “one day” tackling an oval (in one of the national series), and hence a full-time switch is not on the cards in the very short run.
Nevertheless, the outing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway raises the question of whether Kostecki might head Stateside in 2025 for regular NASCAR competition, particularly when one considers how quickly van Gisbergen’s move snowballed, and the West Australian’s history in the K&N Pro Series as a teen.
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Ryan bristled when Speedcafe’s Mark Fogarty did indeed raise that question as select team bosses fronted the media ahead of Supercars action at The Bend this weekend.
Asked if he “regard[s] it as likely or … inevitable” that the #99 Camaro pilot would probably go at the end of 2024, the Erebus chief was initially having none of it.
“You ask some stupid questions,” declared Ryan.
“Next question.
“Why would I answer that? Foges, why would I answer that?
“You’re talking about Brodie leaving? Let’s get on with it. Something else.”
When Fogarty reasoned that, “He’s obviously got aspiration to race in America,” Ryan acknowledged the possibility, but surmised that Kostecki wants some big wins in Supercars before he would do so – as well as firing a parting shot.
“Everybody’s got aspirations to do different things,” he said.
“If Brodie wants to go to America, well, he can go to America.
“But, I don’t think he wants to at the moment; he wants to tick some boxes.
“But, just, why would you talk about that crap?
“We’re leading a championship; we want to get on with it.
“You guys have busted our balls in the last two weeks, making up shit, and I’m sick of it.
“So, just ask us some questions about 2023, please.”
As for Ryan’s ‘making up shit’ assertion, it is worth noting that Speedcafe was the first outlet to link Jack Le Brocq to a return to Erebus in a story entitled ‘Erebus targeting Le Brocq as Brown replacement’, published on the afternoon of Monday, August 14.
Four days later, Matt Stone Racing announced his departure at season’s end.
Another hour later, Erebus confirmed his impending arrival.
Ryan, meanwhile, says he feels “gutted” to lose Brown to “the enemy” that is Triple Eight.
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