How DJR can join Triple Eight, WAU in Bathurst

Dick Johnson Racing will kick off its 2024 Repco Supercars Championship campaign at the Thrifty Bathurst 500 armed with a shot at history.

DJR, which races under the Shell V-Power Racing Team banner, currently sits on 148 championship race victories.

Should Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison take home the spoils at the Thrifty Bathurst 500, which will open the new season with two 250km races, the team could become the third to 150. Tickets for the February 23-25 event are on sale now.

The team has had a lean few seasons, winning 11 of the last 92 races (11.9%) across the last three years. The previous four seasons reaped 56 wins in 113 starts (49.5%) and three drivers' titles, all won by Scott McLaughlin.

There's fresh hope of a revival in 2024, with Dr Ryan Story, who led the team during its dominant spell, returning to the helm this year.

To date, only two teams — Triple Eight and Walkinshaw Andretti United — have achieved 150 or more Supercars championship race wins.

WAU was first to 150, but did most of its winning under the Holden Racing Team guise. To date, all 188 of WAU's wins came in Commodores, with the team switching to Ford in 2023.

Triple Eight began life as a Ford team in 2004, and is also the only team to take 200 wins. Triple Eight won 51 races in Fords before switching to Holden in 2010, and won a record 190 races in Commodores between 2010 and 2022. They switched to Chevrolet in 2023, and won 10 races last season.

DJR has won all races in Fords, and scored win No. 148 at last year’s NTI Townsville 500 courtesy of Anton De Pasquale, who snapped a 25-race drought for the team.

It has been a big few years of milestones for the famous team, which celebrated 1000 races at the 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000, and 500 rounds at last year’s VAILO Adelaide 500.

DJR has been winning since the very beginning, with legendary team owner and five-time Australian Touring Car Champion Johnson winning at Symmons Plains in 1981.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship was the 64th season of the championship, and DJR was there for 44 of them. In that time, the Queensland-based squad has won 10 drivers’ championships, three teams’ championships and four Bathurst 1000s.

The team has produced two Supercars Hall of Famers — Johnson and John Bowe — and will one day welcome a third in McLaughlin, who achieved his greatest successes with the team.

McLaughlin joined in 2017 in the DJR Team Penske era, and won a team record 48 races — also the most by a Ford driver in Supercars history.

Just 10 different full-time drivers in DJR’s 45-year-history have won for the team — Johnson, McLaughlin, De Pasquale, Bowe, Will Davison, Paul Radisich, Fabian Coulthard, James Courtney, Steven Johnson and Chaz Mostert. Of the 10, four drivers — Johnson, McLaughlin, Bowe and Courtney — have won championships for DJR.

Most ATCC/Supercars race wins (all-time)

Most ATCC/Supercars race wins for DJR

Correct to 2023 VAILO Adelaide 500