Ranked: The top 10 Supercars drivers of 2023
These rankings are not solely based on championship standings; rather, they reflect a driver’s performance relative to teammates, their cars and expectations.
The first year of the Gen3 regulations made for a dramatic and surprising Repco Supercars Championship of 2023.
Several drivers made names for themselves, while others consolidated their standing as stars of the show.
Supercars.com has listed the top 10 drivers, in reverse order, from the season that was.
10) Matt Payne
Just when you thought the reign of Kiwi stars was over, along comes Matt Payne, who at 21, closed out the season with a stunning triumph at the VAILO Adelaide 500. Payne showed glimpses of his raw talent throughout the early rounds, but from The Bend onwards, the New Zealander was a fixture of the front and a regular of Shootouts and the top 10, culminating in his win from the front row in the last race of the year.
9) Thomas Randle
In his second full-time season, Thomas Randle showed signs he wants to lead from the front at Tickford Racing. He top-scored for the team at an otherwise tough round at Albert Park, and shone with three podiums and a maiden pole at The Bend. The 2020 Super2 champion finished in the top 10 in the final seven solo races of the year, rounding out 2023 with another podium in Adelaide, no less.
8) David Reynolds
David Reynolds is off to Team 18 in 2024, but showed he has plenty left in the tank with a fighting performance in 2023. He began the year with a pole and podium in Newcastle, but a dip in form from Penrite Racing and the driver himself left Reynolds as low as 19th in the points. He turned it around, winning his first race in five years on the Gold Coast and scoring a podium double in Adelaide.
7) Andre Heimgartner
Andre Heimgartner’s second season at Brad Jones Racing was impressive, if not with some ‘what if’ moments. He scored six podiums and a first pole with BJR, but fell short of that elusive victory. Another Bathurst DNF hurt his championship position, but a career-best season helped BJR to its best teams’ championship position in 10 years.
6) Will Brown
It was a tale of two seasons for Will Brown, who is off to Triple Eight in 2024. Brown was quick at the Grand Prix, won three of five races across the Perth and Tasmania rounds, and took the championship lead in Townsville. Once his Triple Eight signing was announced, Brown fell away, scoring a single podium in the final 11 races of the year to fall to fifth overall, over 600 points behind his teammate.
5) Chaz Mostert
Chaz Mostert may have gone winless, but the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver’s year was all heart, and all fight. Mostert pushed Shane van Gisbergen to the brink in Newcastle, and led the points early on. He had impressive race pace and scored a swag of podiums, but the win went begging. However, being top Ford driver was a moment of pride for Mostert, who will have a new engineer in 2024 after the departure of Adam De Borre.
4) Broc Feeney
Broc Feeney showed signs of his talent in his rookie season, and come 2023, he was ready to take the next step. He took it and ran, fighting for the title before tough rounds at The Bend and Bathurst stunted his title hopes. The 21-year-old took five wins, headlined by a Sandown 500 victory claimed under immense pressure. Notably, he out-qualified teammate Shane van Gisbergen in the head-to-head stakes.
3) Shane van Gisbergen
NASCAR-bound Shane van Gisbergen ultimately fought for the title in what was a troubled season, but the Kiwi proved time and again why he will go down as one of the greats and, potentially, a future Supercars Hall of Famer. The Kiwi battled for parts of the season, but showed his class when it mattered most to deliver a crushing Bathurst victory with Richie Stanaway.
2) Cam Waters
Cam Waters left nothing on the table in 2023, and despite his race day woes, proved his standing as arguably the fastest driver with the second best average qualifying position all season. Waters inherited victory in Newcastle after the double Triple Eight disqualification, and won two of the last four races of the year. It could have been more, had his car not gone up in flames while leading in Darwin, while he just missed podiums elsewhere as Erebus and Triple Eight dominated.
1) Brodie Kostecki
Most poles, most wins, most podiums. Brodie Kostecki was the undisputed star of 2023, with the Erebus Motorsport driver winning his first title. The 26-year-old had the kitchen sink thrown at him this year, but he coped beautifully to end up champion. Even when he lost the points lead midway through the year, he hit straight back with a big win under lights in Sydney, and never looked back. And even when he wasn’t fastest on race day — he went winless in the final four rounds — Kostecki knew what he needed to do to keep the orange numbers on his car.
