Supercars added 100km Friday races to the season-opening Sydney 500, the Townsville 500 and the Adelaide Grand Final (formerly Adelaide 500) this year.
The move was instigated by Adelaide event organisers wanting to better utilise their four-day event format that is aimed at maximising visitor nights.
Supercars then added Friday racing to Sydney and Townsville – both of which have 200km races on the Saturday and Sunday.
While more racing is generally considered a win for fans, there are mixed views on the merits of racing on a Friday, particularly when starting at 3:40pm while many are at work.
Labelling the races a “novelty” in a press conference on Friday, Brad Jones expressed scepticism about TV ratings and said he’d be “massively surprised if it’s worthwhile.”
Fellow team bosses David Cauchi and Matt Stone also emphasised that it’s ultimately the appetite of the fans – both on TV and attending events – that matters.
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Supercars published only a weekend crowd from the event, trumpeting 128,337 across the three days as the largest Townsville attendance since 2018.
That came amid a broader push to reinvigorate the event, which included Pro Bull Riding on Friday night and ‘Summernats Goes Troppo’ burnout competitions.
The fact Friday action cannot be shown on free-to-air under the current broadcast deal only adds to scepticism around racing on the weekday.
Anecdotally, however, Brodie Kostecki’s maiden victory for Dick Johnson Racing in the Friday race provided a far bigger spectacle than practice or qualifying would have.
So what do you think? Should Supercars continue with Friday races? Vote now on this week’s Pirtek Poll.
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