The move appeared a lock from the moment Brown secured the 2024 crown at the Adelaide 500 in November and has now been confirmed by the Triple Eight team via a social media video.
Brown takes over the #1 from Brodie Kostecki, who last year became the first champion to run it on a full-time basis since Jamie Whincup in 2018.
Shane van Gisbergen was able to keep his preferred #97 following each of his championships, only running #1 as a one-off in the 2022 Adelaide finale.
Brown noted in Adelaide last November that running #1 was an opportunity he wouldn’t want to pass up.
“I’d say I’d be disappointed if we didn’t run it, if we didn’t get the opportunity later in the career,” he said.
“I think while you’ve got the opportunity now, you’ll probably have to run it.”
Brown moves to #1 following a single season with #87, which was chosen by Triple Eight to pair with the #88 used by teammate Broc Feeney.
Triple Eight’s flagship #888 is still reserved for the team’s wildcard entry due to its long association with Craig Lowndes.
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Brown received some unwanted feedback from fellow drivers when he was allocated #87, as described by the Toowoomba-based car salesman on Supercars’ post-season Drivers Only Podcast.
“Jamie sends me a message and says, ‘hey mate, this is your number for the year’,” Brown recounted to host James Courtney when asked about #87.
“I was like, ‘righto, #87, whatever.’ I didn’t think it was bad, didn’t think it was good…
“Then everyone is sending me messages, all these drivers, [Cam] Waters, you, Brodie, everyone is like, ‘God, that’s a shit number’.
“I was like, ‘what do you mean? What’s wrong with the number?’ They paid me out for rounds about my number.
“I didn’t think #87 was too bad. I’m pretty keen to run it. I like it now, but we might be able to get away from it for a year.”
Brown is using #87 during his Toyota Formula Regional Oceania campaign with Giles Motorsport.
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