Five storylines to watch as night racing returns in Sydney

Six rounds down, six to go. Who’s your tip for the 2024 title?

That has been a key talking point since Townsville, where the championship picture changed dramatically after Will Brown’s Sunday crash.

In one race, Brown’s lead over teammate Broc Feeney was slashed from 141 to 78 points, with Chaz Mostert going from 270 to 174 points down.

The big winners were Cam Waters and Matt Payne, who enjoyed strong weekends to maintain a pulse in their title bids, with 1820 points still to win.

Sydney was full of drama and controversy last year, and was a critical stop in the overall championship picture. Could it happen again this weekend?

Night racing is back

For the first — and only time — in 2024, Supercars will race under lights, with Sydney Motorsport Park playing host to a spectacle unique to this season. Orange brake rotors, flames licking out the sides of the cars, headlights, special liveries — night racing is a treat for fans, and Sydney always puts on a show. This year, both races will be held under lights, and the floodlit action gets underway with a night practice on Friday. That session will paint a key picture of the weekend to come.

Championship pressure?

Will Brown has led the championship since the Grand Prix in March, with his lead his a season-high 141 points after the Saturday race in Townsville. However, it was reduced to 78 points 24 hours later, which was the smallest margin since Taupō in April. With 1820 points left to win, this season is far from done, and Brown will be under pressure to keep the orange numbers on. Brown knows all too well how quickly things can turn around — in Sydney last year, he lost the championship lead after being spun out at Turn 1, and never recovered. All told, the pressure is on Triple Eight, which battled through an off-beat weekend in Townsville. The beneficiaries were Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters, who scored 267 and 288 points respectively. Even Matt Payne played his way back into the title picture, moving to 450 points behind. While it’s a big ask — the biggest deficit overcome to win a title is 214 points — anything is possible, and scoreboard pressure can be telling.

Can the Fords keep the pressure on?

So, that begs the question — can the flying Fords keep it up? Mostert, Waters and Payne haven’t been able to string together consecutive rounds in 2024, and if they want to keep the Bulls honest, they must perform in Sydney. Mostert and Waters proved in Townsville they can race each other, and bring home a result. Waters and Payne tripped over each other at the Grand Prix, and can’t afford to do it again. Triple Eight is by far the leading Chevrolet team, so the form Ford teams — Walkinshaw Andretti United, Tickford Racing and Penrite Racing — have belief they have power in numbers.

Bouncing back

Beyond Brown, several leading drivers hit trouble in Townsville, namely Nick Percat, who plummeted from fourth to ninth in the championship. Percat was one three key casualties in the Saturday race, with Anton De Pasquale suffering his third non-score of the season, with Brodie Kostecki’s rollercoaster comeback continuing. Will Davison was fast over one lap, but only had finishes of eighth and 12th to show for it. PremiAir Nulon Racing were unable to replicate the heroics of Darwin for James Golding, while Team 18’s veteran duo battled with locking, with David Reynolds taken out by Brown. So many drivers, all armed with a chance to bounce back. Which one will take that chance?

A new face

Lochie Dalton will make his Supercars debut in a wildcard Tickford Mustang, joining Cooper Murray in the debutant class of ’24. Dalton has stepped up since moving to Tickford in 2024, and will race with the team’s famous #5 in Sydney. It’s a big stage for the Tasmanian to make his debut, with two long night races at a tyre-killing circuit as tricky as they come. Can he follow in the footsteps of Thomas Randle and Zak Best and spring a surprise?