How we decided our top 25 drivers since 2000

This year, Supercars.com selected and ranked its top 25 Supercars drivers of the last 25 years. It was a big task and created debate, both in our team and online. So, how did we do it?

Importantly, this is a list based on driver performance and results since 2000. We’re a quarter of the way into the century, which began since 2000. So, if you’ve been looking for some legendary names, they may not have even raced this century.

The first thing to remember is that it is not who we think the 25 best drivers ever. It’s the 25 we think have performed best in the last 25 years — that includes all 12 champions, and 17 Bathurst winners.

It’s also worth highlighting that not every single member of the Supercars.com team didn’t agree with every position on the list. Some tough decisions and compromises were made, but ultimately, the table reflects the biggest achievements, namely championships and Bathurst wins.

The starting point was bringing together all the statistics from the period between 2000 and 2024, which comprised over 300 rounds and over 700 races. Remember, results between 1960 and 1999 aren't relevant to this list.

The strength and competitiveness of the grid also varies from season to season, but on results alone, it was hard to argue against the order of the top 10, when factoring in championship and Bathurst success.

There were plenty of other factors, such as a driver’s comparison to their teammates, performances by rising stars or veterans, and standouts over a season, or on the sport’s biggest day at Mount Panorama.

Drivers were also deemed to have recorded results in what we termed a ‘competitive period’, which further established who the top performers were. Jamie Whincup, for example, was a regular win contender between 2006 and 2021, while Marcos Ambrose packed a punch into his five seasons between 2001 and 2005.

The constant argument was, who was more impressive - a driver who competed for wins for over 10 years, or one that racked up wins and titles in a shorter spell? Overall, it was much easier to select who we think should be added than argue who should be taken out.

Between 2000 and 2024, only 20 drivers won 10 or more races. If we were doing an all-time list, it would’ve been a bit tougher, given only 32 drivers have won 10 or more races.

Supercars.com also shared the list with a number of external journalists and commentators, who all offered their own feedback. Ultimately, our criteria was centred on performance and results, and we argued that championship and Bathurst wins took precedence over drivers who hadn’t achieved either.

Eventually, a final 25 was established. As clarified in all articles, this is not an official Supercars list. Rather, it’s the editorial team employed by the organisation, which attempted to make this list as objective as possible. We’re all race fans, and each individual has biases, which we put aside pretty quickly.

We began the process after the completion of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, and our new champion Will Brown ended up 13th, courtesy of his victory and wins total, just putting him ahead of the legendary Russell Ingall.

All told, we took this list seriously, and it was also a bit of fun to share with our passionate fans. Everyone’s entitled to their opinions, and the debate triggered by our countdown proves Supercars has one of the most knowledgeable fan bases in world sport, something we should all be proud of.

So, will this list change when we’re halfway through the century in 2050? We dare not think, but we may not have even seen the greatest of the century yet…

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.

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