25 best Supercars drivers since 2000: #11 Brodie Kostecki
As 2025 gets underway, Supercars.com is ranking the top 25 drivers of the last 25 years, continuing with Brodie Kostecki, who comes in as our #11.
A son of Perth, Brodie Kostecki took an unconventional path to Supercars glory. But, at age 27, he’s already a series champion and Bathurst winner, and it still feels like he hasn't scratched the surface of his ultimate potential.
Only eight drivers this century have won championships and Bathursts. Kostecki is one of them, despite taking arguably the toughest road to get there.
A rising kart star, Kostecki had a crack at national level NASCAR before returning to Australia to pursue Supercars. Finding funds and cars to race wasn’t easy, and along the way, Kostecki couch-surfed and made ends meet.
Tutelage from the likes of Paul Morris and Shane van Gisbergen created a monster on the track, with Kostecki mechanically sound off it. When he was announced as a main game enduro wildcard in 2019, there was arguably more buzz around cousins Jake and Kurt.
Brodie, though, had the right mongrel in him to make a name for himself. Aged 22, he forced Jamie Whincup into a stunning mistake at The Cutting in the 2020 Bathurst 1000, and arrived in 2021 as a rookie with plenty to prove. He proved it straight away, claiming a podium in just his fifth solo race at Sandown, in pouring rain.
He ended 2021 with a brilliant Bathurst podium with David Russell, and after another standout year in 2022, was the benchmark in the first year of Gen3. With six wins and 10 poles — both season-highs — Kostecki was a deserving champion, lifting Erebus Motorsport to the pinnacle of the sport.
Then, everything changed. Kostecki missed the first two rounds amid a flurry of headlines, and even when he returned, he wasn’t the same. Once he signed a deal with Dick Johnson Racing, a trigger was flicked, and the Kostecki of old — the Kostecki that battered his rivals — was back.
Brodie Kostecki's key stats since 2000
Years active: 2019-present
Rounds: 51
Races: 116
Best championship position: 1st (2023)
Best finish: 1st (8 wins)
Top three finishes: 29
Best start: 1st (13 pole positions)
Best Bathurst result: 1st (2024)
The highlight
Kostecki’s blockbuster Bathurst performance in 2024 will prove the stuff of legend. In a race short of Safety Cars, drivers had to nail every lap, fighting pain and exhaustion to get to the end.
In a display of supreme athleticism, Kostecki didn’t put a foot wrong under intense pressure from Broc Feeney in the final hour. Feeney was right on his tail, the duo exchanging fastest laps and leaving nothing on the table.
All told, Kostecki won by 1.3s, with the next driver 13 seconds down the road. The reigning champ led 157 of 161 laps, which on paper, was a crushing performance. However, that final stint will go down as one of the greatest Bathurst will see, and it will read Kostecki as the winner.
Why we picked him
A champion and Bathurst winner, Kostecki is already among the greats. For all we know, the best could be yet to come as he joins DJR and Ford, with both parties determined to hit the very top once again.
Kostecki is an old school racer, never shy to get his elbows out and tough as nails. Be it his rookie campaign in 2021 or late in 2024 as reigning champion, Kostecki never gave an inch, and could be what DJR needs to get back to the front.
Purists will note how Kostecki’s engineering smarts were key to his success. Kostecki wasn’t a fan of the Gen2 cars, but made it work. Armed with a new widget, he became a powerhouse with Gen3 cars, and should he win with DJR, he will prove himself as a true champion.
Through it all, he’s just fun to watch. Kostecki is arguably Supercars’ most spectacular one-lap wizard, along with Cam Waters. Consecutive Bathurst poles, by big margins, prove Brodie's the guy that knows how to hang it all out and get the rewards. And, when he can sniff a win, he’ll bully his way there, yet shake hands with his rival afterwards with a smile.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
