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Penrite Racing has confirmed the exit of David Reynolds from the team at the end of the 2023 Supercars season.
A brief statement from the Braeside-based outfit explained: “Penrite Racing wish to make a statement regarding their 2024 driver line-up.
“Penrite Racing will not be renewing David Reynolds’ contract for 2024.
“We wish Dave the best in his future endeavours.”
Grove Racing presently fields the 38-year-old alongside rookie Matt Payne, who has a long-term contract with the team.
A replacement driver for 2024 is yet to be announced, although Triple Eight Race Engineering enduro co-driver Richie Stanaway has been linked to the seat in the #26 Ford Mustang which Reynolds has been piloting.
Owner Stephen Grove had identified at least a top five and preferably a top three in this year’s teams’ championship as a goal but they are currently 10th, ahead of only Tickford Racing’s second pair of Mustangs and the single-car Blanchard Racing Team so far as the Blue Oval contingent is concerned.
Speaking at Sydney Motorsport Park, the event prior to that which has just wrapped up at The Bend, Grove said, “We’ve obviously got a young kid [Payne] coming through, which is something that’s going to take some time; it always does.
“Matty’s been doing a great job; he’s been going really well.
“Out performance just probably hasn’t been where we want to be. If you look at the results of where we are in the teams’ championship and where we are in the drivers’ championship, out results are below where we want to be.
“So, we just need to continually work hard and try and get us back up to where we need to be.”
Despite a failure to enthusiastically endorse Reynolds then, the veteran is thought to have remained in the frame for a renewal until recent days/weeks.
He is now believed to be on his way to Team 18, taking over the seat currently held by Scott Pye.
Reynolds is, in a sense, in his second stint at the squad now known as Grove Racing.
He spent the 2011 season at Kelly Racing, which was a four-car Holden team at the time, before a controversial move to Tickford Racing (nee: Ford Performance Racing).
After three years at Tickford, during which he picked up his maiden Supercars Championship race win, the Albury-born driver was left on the outer and sought refuge at Erebus Motorsport.
It was there that Reynolds achieved the highlight of his career, winning the 2017 Bathurst 1000 with Luke Youlden in an underdog triumph.
The duo looked to have the 2018 Great Race in the bag as well, until Reynolds cramped up with less than 27 laps to go.
He remained one of the front-runners in the 2019 season and would sign a 10-year contract with Erebus, only to leave at the end of 2020 after relations with Erebus CEO Barry Ryan soured.
His return to the Kelly fold in 2021 coincided with a buy-in which turned the team into Kelly Grove Racing, but missed two events late that year after his exemption from a COVID vaccination being rejected.
Reynolds racked up six podiums in the first half of the 2022 season, by which time the transformation into Grove Racing was complete, but results have been thinner on the ground since then.
Now, the news that the 2023 Supercars season will be the 2004 Australian Formula Ford champion’s last at Braeside has been made official.
