Richie Stanaway is open to replacing fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, who appears set to leave Supercars for NASCAR in 2024.
Stanaway, who will co-drive the #97 Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro with van Gisbergen at this year’s Sandown and Bathurst enduros, is at Sydney Motorsport Park today with Triple Eight.
The 31-year-old will partake in a Supercars ride day having also competed with the team in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS at the circuit over the weekend.
While the Auckland-based driver is not actively pursuing the vacancy that van Gisbergen may leave, he told Speedcafe that a return to full-time Supercars is an option, irrespective of the three-time champion’s departure.
When asked by Speedcafe if he’d be happy to replace van Gisbergen, Stanaway was straightforward.
“Would I be up for it? Yeah, I’d love to do it,” he said. “But whether or not there’s an opening there, or if I’m considered for it, it’s not something I can comment on,” he told Speedcafe.
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“Right now, my focus is on the enduros. What happens next year, there’s probably a lot of water to pass under the bridge before we worry about that.
“[I’ll] Just fully focus on Sandown and Bathurst and [I’m] not taking in too much consideration about the future just yet. In a few months, we’ll see we where we’re at.”
Van Gisbergen publicly confirmed his intention to move to NASCAR as early as 2024 at the Sydney SuperNight Supercars event, where he won Race 19 of the season.
Stanway made a return to the Supercars grid at last year’s Bathurst 1000 in a wildcard entry shared with Greg Murphy, where he performed strongly enough to secure the coveted co-drive with van Gisbergen for 2023.
His drive for Triple Eight in the GT World Challenge at the weekend saw some flamboyant driving, with a stunning second in Saturday’s opener after a chasing Garnet Patterson’s Porsche across the line.
“I haven’t felt that good in a car in a really long time,” Stanaway told Speedcafe.
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