Third Triple Eight, BJR cars to form ‘team’

That has been clarified by the finalised 2026 version of the Supercars operations manual which was released by the series today.

An update to section D2.1 outlines that, “a team with three TRCs (three-car team) will be combined as follows:

“i. Two TRCs nominated by the team prior to the start of the season will form a two-car team, and;

“ii. The third TRC will be combined as nominated by the team, to form one two-car team with either:

“a. A team that has one TRC (one-car team) or;

“b. Another team’s third TRC.”

The rule appears to have been written deliberately to deal with SCT Motorsport’s off-season switch from BJR to Triple Eight which will effectively create two three-car teams.

By definition of the rules, however, the SCT Motorsport car is a single-car team that will run with support from Triple Eight, rather than a third car entered by Triple Eight.

As per the updated pit order rule, the SCT-backed, T8-run Mustang of Jackson Walls will be paired with one of BJR’s three Supras, with history suggesting it will be the Macauley Jones car.

Those two cars will score combined points in the teams’ championship despite being run by different organisations.

Triple Eight had previously made it clear that it planned to run its three cars together in three consecutive garages, believing that it had the rules on its side.

However this update means that will only be the case if Triple Eight is out-performed by Brad Jones Racing.

The rule clearly states that the third-car ‘team’ will be grouped with the lower performing of the primary teams in terms of the live pit order.

Rule D2.1.2.2 reads: “Any two-car team/s formed under Rules D2.1.2.1(c)(i), D2.1.2.1(c)(ii)(a) and D2.1.2.1(d) will be paired with the lower-performing related two-car team in the pit lane order”.