Retiring Whincup inducted into Supercars Hall of Fame

Jamie Whincup has become the 23rd inductee into the Supercars Hall of Fame.

Whincup was awarded the prestigious honour ahead of his final race start as a full-time driver.

This weekend’s Repco Bathurst 1000, the final round of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship, is Whincup’s 252nd round.

Whincup, who turned 38 in February, becomes the first Hall of Fame inductee since 2018.

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver starts today’s Great Race with seven drivers’ titles, 124 career wins, 92 career poles and 237 career podiums. All are records.

He also has four Bathurst 1000 crowns to his name, including the three-peat with Craig Lowndes between 2006 and 2008.

Whincup made his championship debut in the 2002 Queensland 500 as a co-driver for Garry Rogers Motorsport.

He was promoted to a full-time drive to the team in 2003 before losing his seat within 12 months.

Whincup, the 2002 Formula Ford champion, was handed a lifeline by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Larry Perkins for endurance races in 2004.

He returned to the full-time fold in 2005 with Tasman Motorsport, and finished second in the Bathurst 1000 alongside another Hall of Fame inductee, the late Jason Richards.

Whincup was awarded a third Barry Sheene Medal on Saturday

That race caught the eye of Triple Eight boss Roland Dane, who signed Whincup to the team alongside Lowndes in 2006.

In 2006, Whincup won the season-opening Adelaide 500 before going on to win an emotional Bathurst 1000, three weeks after the death of Peter Brock.

Whincup won titles in 2008 and 2009, completed a four-peat between 2011 and 2014, before clinching title No. 7 in Newcastle in 2017.

He was awarded a third Barry Sheene Medal on Saturday, having been recognised as the 'best and fairest' of 2021.

Whincup will move into the Managing Director and Team Principal role at Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2022.

Supercars Hall of Fame inductees

1999: Allan Moffat1999: Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan2000: Bob Jane2000: Norm Beechey2001: Peter Brock2001: Dick Johnson2002: Colin Bond2004: Bob Morris2004: Fred Gibson2005: Adelaide 5002006: Jim Richards2007: Harry Firth2008: Larry Perkins2009: John Bowe2011: Glenn Seton2012: Tony Cochrane2013: Jason Richards2014: Mark Skaife2015: Garry Rogers2016: Ross & Jim Stone2017: Neil Crompton2018: Tom Walkinshaw2021: Jamie Whincup