In 2024, Supercars announced that it would flip the championship on its head, moving away from the traditional points accumulation to a knock-out format.
Broc Feeney won the Sprint Cup, Matthew Payne took out the Enduro Cup – and despite both earning bonus points, neither could convert and win the Supercars Championship.
That, instead, went the way of Chaz Mostert, whose finals form was undeniable as he won the first three races across the Gold Coast 500 and Sandown 500 and missed the podium only once.
At the Gold Coast, the impact of the Finals Series was on full display when two would-be favourites – Ryan Wood and Brodie Kostecki – were knocked out.
Kostecki crashed in Saturday’s qualifying, and nearly wrote off his car. Meanwhile, Wood suffered a fuel tank leak later that afternoon.
Those issues put them in must-win situations on Sunday, and neither delivered. Along with Anton De Pasquale, the two Ford drivers were dumped out of contention.
The Finals Series had immediately made a mark, showing just how much jeopardy was attached.
Then came Sandown, where Matt Payne’s folly benefitted his Grove Racing teammate. Payne made ultimately unnecessary contact with Cameron Waters, and each suffered damage from the clash.
Kai Allen, who had been the quiet achiever of the Finals Series to that point, earned the final spot in the top four on points to advance to Adelaide.
Payne, meanwhile, was eliminated with Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle and Cameron Waters.
It was at Sandown where the first serious considerations about potential race manipulation came to light, adding yet another fascinating story line to the series that reared its head at Adelaide.
Sandown’s chaos set up a grandstand finish at the Adelaide Grand Final, where the full potential of the Finals Series system was revealed.
Feeney led going into the final race, but an engine issue cruelly denied him an opportunity to recover from a lap one clash with Wood through the staircase section.
It would be fair to say that the 2024 announcement came with a lot of skepticism from the public, while there were mixed views from the industry.
An increase in free-to-air viewership from the Seven network would suggest interest on the whole is up. Whether that continues to rise, plateaus, or drops based on this year’s result will be fascinating to observe.
The Finals Series is ultimately a double-edged sword. Without it, there would not have been a title fight at the Adelaide Grand Final.
Assuming the former points accumulation formation was in play, Feeney would have come to Adelaide with a nearly unassailable lead. Even with his engine woes, he would have left with a lead of more than 200 points.
The Finals Series created new storylines and brought drivers who would have otherwise been out of the picture, back into the frame.
Mostert was the perfect example of that. On the old system, he would have been out of contention a long time ago.
Now that the first edition of the Supercars Finals Series has been run, what’s your verdict? Cast your vote below and leave a comment or head to our Facebook page.
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