Kostecki dropped into the facility in Concord, North Carolina, on Tuesday and witnessed the Ford Mustang undergoing evaluations.
Each of the three homologation teams are only allowed five representatives at the test, meaning Kostecki’s appearance raised some eyebrows among rivals.
However, it’s believed Kostecki notified Supercars of his plan to drop into the facility and was permitted to observe during a brief visit.
Kostecki, who spent a portion of his youth living and racing in the US, flew out of Australia directly after the Supercars Gala Awards and was catching up with friends in the area.
The technically savvy Kostecki was the driving force behind a push that resulted in aerodynamic changes to the Mustang midway through the 2025 season.
He led the Ford parity fight throughout the year having won the 2023 championship and ’24 Bathurst 1000 with Chevrolet squad Erebus Motorsport.
Triple Eight has taken over from DJR as Ford’s homologation team, sending its first completed Mustang to the tunnel with a variety of changes requested by Supercars for commonality.
The Mustang is being tested alongside Walkinshaw Andretti United’s new Toyota Supra and a Chevrolet Camaro supplied by GM’s replacement homologation squad, Team 18.
While the Camaro was taken as the datum car to which the revised Ford and new Toyota would be matched, it’s understood initial running has resulted in a change of plan.
Based on the changes already made to the Mustang and the tools available, it’s been deemed simpler to tune both the Camaro and Supra to match the Ford.
That will likely involve new parts for the Camaro being made onsite in the US under the direction of GM’s technical lead Jeromy Moore.
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