The Supercars silly season is now in its final phase as the key contenders to complete the 2024 grid emerge.

The discussion is now centred on the fourth car at Brad Jones Racing, with Jack Smith calling time on his full-time career as of the Vailo Adelaide 500.

That has left a somewhat unexpected vacancy on the grid for 2024 right when it seemed that the 24-car field was squared away.

Super2 runner-up Zak Best has long been touted as the favourite to replace Smith in the SCT Logistics backed entry, and continues to be the leading contender to make a long-awaited step up to the main game.

However the deal is not yet finalised, with at least one other driver thought to be in consideration for the seat.

That driver is widely thought to be Declan Fraser, who will lose his Tickford seat at the end of this season as part of the major restructure at the Ford squad, which will scale back from four cars to two.

Fraser’s exit, and the legalities involved in it, are understood to be the hold-up in Tickford formally announcing that Cam Waters and Thomas Randle will drive its two remaining Mustangs next season.

There is currently no indication on the timeline for SCT/BJR to make a call on who will get the nod for the seat next season.