Retaining Moffat Nissan's priority

Nissan Motorsport has declared re-signing James Moffat as its absolute priority.

The second-generation star is out of contract at the end of the season and the team is currently working to assemble the financial package to keep its only race winner in an Altima.

Nissan Motorsport general manager Nick Ryan confirmed the team remained on the hunt for the right commercial package to support Moffat and that retaining him as part of an unchanged driver line-up for 2016 was at the top of the 'to do' list.

"The situation with James is honest and transparent," said Ryan. "You would hear if we are actively talking to a lot of other people and we are not.

"We want to continue as we are. We have this continuity with our drivers that we have gone through since 2013 with the Nissan program to a level where the competitiveness is almost there.

"It would be a shame for us if we couldn't continue as it is."

Team boss and driver Todd Kelly has also spoken publicly of his desire to keep Moffat in the squad, though a sponsor would need to be locked in before those talks progressed.

"Our intention is absolutely to continue with James and we are working hard to make sure that is realistic," Ryan said.

"The reality of this game - and it is a very expensive game - is we just need to work closely with them and make sure we have the right picture and we can put the right offer to James that he is accepting of.

"Then we can all move forward. We are all continuing with these discussion together with the open expectation that it will all continue."

Rick Kelly's car is supported by Jack Daniel's, Caruso's running with official Nissan signage, carsales has been signed for Todd's Altima for the enduros and beyond, but Moffat has cycled through a group of different sponsors.

Ryan also explained why the carsales sponsorship deal went with Todd Kelly and not Moffat, even though Nissan Motorsport is trying to find the funding to keep the out-of-contract second-generation star in an Altima for 2016.

Ryan confirmed to v8supercars.com.au negotiations with the internet advertising giant only ever centred on Kelly, even though his position as a team co-owner arguably makes him more secure than Moffat.

The securing of carsales in a deal that runs to the end of 2016 means that only Moffat's car remains unfunded for next season.But Ryan said negotiations with carsales began seven months ago and only ever centred on Todd as the driver with whom the program would be associated.

"Since day one when the discussions began it was about Todd and he is a perfect alignment and ambassador for their business, not just because of the carsales brand, but the breadth of their entire group; you are looking at carsales, trucksales, boatsales, caravansales, bikesales," explained Ryan.

"It applies nicely to Todd and while the primary brand of this relationship is carsales, the leverage will be through all those assets.

"So why Todd? Why not? If you separate him from the ownership or directorship of this business, he is a driver. And we need to put the commercial structure around him and that car. He holds equal importance to anyone in this team in doing that and for the operation of our race team we need to make sure every car has the right program around it."

Ryan dismissed media reports that the carsales sponsorship was 'career-saving' for the former Bathurst winner, who has struggled for decent results in recent years as he focussed on his engineering and management responsibilities within the business. Both he and Rick are the two most improved cars based on Championship position since this time last year, with Todd up 13 places since this point in 2014.

"Todd was a realist in the sense of saying that at any specific time in his career if there was commercial implications that maybe affected that then he would review where he is at," said Ryan. "But he had no intention of stepping out of that car and with what we have put together now we were never swaying from the fact that he was in the car next year."

Catch Moffat on tonight's episode of Inside Supercars, airing on FOX SPORTS 506 at 7.30pm EST.