General Motors sought to propel Payne into the Cup Series race at Sonoma on June 28, aiming to place him with Richard Childress Racing.
RCR previously fielded NASCAR entries for Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown while they were part of GM’s Supercars stable.
However, the somewhat cheeky offer to Payne has been denied by Grove, which fields Ford Mustangs in the Australian championship.
It’s the latest salvo in an apparent battle involving Grove and GM over the 2025 Bathurst 1000 winner.
GM has pinpointed Payne as the man to spearhead its Supercars effort with homologation squad Team 18.
A big money offer and promises of international opportunities such as NASCAR drives are said to have been dangled in front of the driver.
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While the move is seen as inevitable, Grove holds a contract with Payne through to the end of 2027 and has shown no signs it is willing to release the star early.
Grove Racing boss Stephen Grove stated the team’s Ford alliance as the primary reason for denying the request to race at Sonoma.
“Grove Racing confirms that it did not approve Matt Payne’s request to participate in a NASCAR race for General Motors,” he said in a statement to Speedcafe.
“Matt is contracted to Grove Racing until the end of the 2027 season, and during that period, he is not permitted to participate in any driving opportunity that conflicts with his contractual obligations to Grove Racing.
“Grove Racing takes its commercial and technical relationship with Ford Racing seriously and at no time would look to jeopardise that for a one off NASCAR drive with a competing manufacturer.”
Grove also pointed to the fact Payne is still in recovery after breaking his wrist in a mountain bike accident as a reason to limit his activities.
‘Time to come clean’: Payne reveals he suffered broken wrist
“Grove Racing’s priority is to ensure Matt is managed responsibly, protects his recovery, and remains fully focused on his commitments with the team,” he said.
“Matt is a central part of Grove Racing’s program, and we do not consider it appropriate or commercially responsible to expose him to additional physical risk in an unfamiliar racing environment, particularly one that carries no direct benefit to Grove Racing’s championship objectives.
“Grove Racing has invested heavily in Matt’s development over a number of years and remains fully committed to him. Equally, we expect that commitment to be respected by all parties.”
Grove meanwhile questioned why GM would offer the NASCAR opportunity to Payne over its current stable of drivers.
“We are also surprised that General Motors would look beyond its own substantial stable of talented Supercars drivers in Australia and instead approach a contracted driver from a competing manufacturer,” he said.
“GM has access to a deep pool of capable Australian drivers with direct manufacturer alignment, and the ability to represent its program without interfering with another team’s contractual position.
“Given Matt has not previously raced in NASCAR or at the relevant circuit, it is difficult to understand why General Motors would seek to involve a contracted Grove Racing driver rather than one of its own aligned drivers.”
Payne joined Grove via its junior program in 2021, progressing through Carrera Cup, Super2 and into the Supercars Championship.
He won the Adelaide 500 at the end of his rookie season and last year took out the Jason Richards Trophy, Peter Brock Trophy and Adelaide Grand Final, making him hot property.
Despite the fuss over his future and the recent wrist injury, Payne has made a strong start to 2026 and currently sits second in the championship.
Payne is managed by former Supercars driver Michael Patrizi, who declined to comment on the Sonoma saga.
Sonoma is the final road course on the 2026 Cup schedule, taking place a week after the San Diego event that clashes with Supercars’ Darwin Triple Crown.
Despite the ongoing success of triple champion Shane van Gisbergen, no current Supercars drivers have been able to secure a chance in a Cup race this season.
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