The new-for-2025 Finals Series makes the question of who will win the Supercars title an even harder call to make.
No longer is the race for the Supercars title purely down to who has the most points.
As the Playoffs progress and the scores reset for the Adelaide Grand Final, the race for the championship will come down to four contenders.
It goes without saying, Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Will Brown is the short-priced favourite as last year’s champion – and his teammate Broc Feeney can’t be far behind him having won the most races in 2024.
It will pay dividends to be a race-winner if you’re in the Playoffs, with automatic entry for any of the ‘Round of 10’ entrants from the Gold Coast to Sandown.
The same is true for Sandown, with any of the ‘Round of 7’ drivers able to qualify for the Adelaide Grand Final with a win in Melbourne.
Beyond the Triple Eight pair, Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert and Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters have to be among the leading contenders from the Ford camp.
Waters finished the 2024 season strong with a win at the Gold Coast. Mostert, meanwhile, has had an eight-race dry spell since his last Sydney win.
Perhaps the biggest unknown is Brodie Kostecki. After missing the opening two rounds of the 2024 season, he endured a tough return to Erebus Motorsport – but by the end of the year was a Bathurst 1000 winner.
How long will it take for Kostecki to get up to speed? Will Dick Johnson Racing be race winners in 2025? Will a suite of new staff headlined by top-flight engineers be a net positive for Will Davison too? — Dick Johnson Racing is the great unknown, but a fascinating one at that.
Then there are drivers like Thomas Randle and Matt Payne. A win feels like a matter of time for Randle while Payne has already proven himself to be a winner on his day.
Payne reckons the finals will change how drivers race each other.
“There are people that are nice and there are people that are aggressive in this category, and yeah, you might get a few more people doing a few unexpected moves that you wouldn’t normally see, but that’s racing,” said Payne.
“You’re putting everything on the line and it might just show other people’s side a little bit when it comes down to those desperate moments when you know you need to get that position in front and it’s looking pretty tough.
So will it pay to have friends?
“I think so,” Payne replied. “But everyone’s their own person once you put the helmet on.
“You could say so much about all of us having a joke and laughing around today and just having a bit of fun, but everyone knows when you go out there racing, everyone’s their own person.”
Who’s your pick to win the title? Cast your vote below.
