Talks were well-advanced and an announcement was close to being made until Busch pulled the pin on the program, as revealed by Speedcafe.

Renders released by the telco owner show the proposed Peter Hughes-designed livery featuring Mobile X sponsorship and a slew of former Erebus Motorsport sponsors.

Erebus Motorsport was tipped to run the wildcard program initially. However, the events of the past year led to the NASCAR driver’s Supercars cameo moving across to Triple Eight Race Engineering.

“This almost happened but fell over at the finish line,” Adderton wrote on social media.

“MobileX was stepping up to give Aussie and American Supercars fans a real treat in Adelaide.”

The wildcard was a joint project with support from the Adelaide 500, Supercars, and Triple Eight.

The long-awaited announcement was delayed several times over until.

It’s understood that an off-track commitment in the United States has been cited as the reason for Busch’s unavailability.

“Due to timing and commitments, having an international Supercars Wildcard at the VAILO Adelaide 500 is being explored for 2025,” the South Australian Motor Sport Board said in a statement.

“We look forward to sharing more international off track talent for the 2024 event soon, as we continue to build a motorsport mecca in the heart of Adelaide this November.’

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