Seven big storylines from 2019 Super2
It was a spectacular year of Dunlop Super2 Series action filled with both controversy and heartwarming stories on and off the track.
From drivers being stripped of victories to scoring maiden wins, earning a main game graduation or withdrawing altogether, 2019 had it all.
Supercars.com has narrowed down seven of the biggest stories of the year to recap ahead of an even bigger 2020 season where serious incentives will be on the line.
Triple Eight duo disqualified
Returning to the second-tier series after a five-year hiatus, Triple Eight got off to a rough start in March, with both of its drivers excluded from Race 2 in Adelaide.
Kurt Kostecki and Brenton Grove had finished 10th and 13th in the race, before the team breached parc ferme regulations.
Large cooling fans were attached to the front bumpers of the Commodores post-race, which is not allowed in the feeder class.
As a result, the pair were forced to start Sunday's third and final race from the rear of the grid and received zero points from the second race.
Earlier in the piece, Kostecki was also docked 35 championship points for his part in an opening lap clash with Thomas Randle in Race 1, leaving him in the negatives in the championship standings.
Wildcard step up for full PIRTEK Enduro Cup
Kostecki Brothers Racing were a three-car operation last year, but that number would be reduced to zero by the time the Super2 series got to the Bathurst round this year.
Kurt Kostecki was the first to bow out, with a move to Triple Eight, before cousin Brodie, followed by brother Jake, bailed out of the series.
That was to focus their efforts on contesting all three of Supercars’ PIRTEK Enduro Cup events via a series of wildcard entries.
Brodie stepped out of the series after Round 2 in Perth, while Jake bowed out of the competition after Round 4 in Ipswich.
After crashing out at Mount Panorama, the duo took 18th and 16th on the Gold Coast and then finished 16th at Sandown, concluding their main game campaign for 2019.
The gamble has paid dividends, with Jake graduating to the main series with Matt Stone Racing in 2020, sharing the #34 seat with Zane Goddard, while Brodie returns to Super2 with Eggleston Motorsport and joins Penrite Racing for the enduros.
Randle stripped of breakthrough win
It doesn't get much worse than losing what would have been a maiden Super2 victory but for Thomas Randle that was the case in Townsville, through a pair of penalties.
The 23-year-old crossed the line first in the opening race, but with two post-race investigations to his name for restart infringements.
Through a couple of Safety Car periods, Randle led the pack each time and was observed accelerating away from the field both times while yellow flags were still being displayed.
Randle copped 25-second time penalties, a pitlane penalty equivalent, for each breach to fall from race winner to 13th and last of the classified drivers.
One round later, Randle achieved redemption, claiming a maiden Super2 victory in the opening race at Ipswich.
Perkins out of Super2 due to influenza
Walkinshaw Andretti United co-driver Jack Perkins, who was on double duties at Bathurst with Eggleston Motorsport, was forced to withdraw from his Super2 commitments.
Ongoing effects of influenza B virus contracted a week before the event, left Perkins with a tough decision, as he chose to conserve his energy for the Bathurst 1000.
He completed Thursday practice in the second-tier and then bowed out of the competition on Friday due to the virus.
Perkins did end up contesting the Great Race alongside James Courtney, the pair finishing third on the podium.
Eager to repay Eggleston at the next round at Sandown, Perkins won the event for the Melbourne-based operation.
Fullwood loses dominant Bathurst triumph
Eventual Super2 champ Bryce Fullwood was stripped of the biggest win of his career – the Bathurst 250km – as a result of a post-race penalty.
Fullwood dominated the mini-enduro, crossing the line more than 13 seconds ahead of second-placed Thomas Randle.
However, he was placed under a post-race investigation for failing to obey yellow flags on the final lap when Ash Walsh was trapped in the gravel at The Chase.
Fullwood set the fastest ever Super2 race lap around Mount Panorama on his final run; the stewards subsequently handed Fullwood a 15-second time penalty, which dropped him to second and erased his Bathurst Super2 race lap record.
Randle was promoted into first place, however Fullwood still went on to win the series with a comfortable points lead.
Boys claims maiden win, Fullwood the title
There were two big winners in the second race at the penultimate round in Sandown, as Jordan Boys claimed a maiden Super2 win and Bryce Fullwood wrapped up the title.
From start-to-finish, Boys controlled proceedings and not only claimed his first win, but also gave Terry Wyhoon's Image Racing team its first victory since 2007 at Oran Park.
The bulk of the Albury driver’s second Super2 campaign had been a struggle, but he suddenly turned the tables at Sandown and then backed it up in Newcastle with a second win.
As for Fullwood, his campaign proved to be a total triumph, which led to a maiden Super2 title with MW Motorsport.
He clinched the title a round early at Sandown, and finished the year 422 points clear of runner-up Kurt Kostecki.
Half-million prize pool for 2020
Next year's Super2 competitors will have an added incentive, with a $500,000 prize pool up for grabs.
Introduced to help young drivers on their journey to the main game, Supercars will award $400,000 to the 2020 champion, to be used exclusively towards a '21 main game drive.
A further $100,000 will be awarded to the winner of the new rookie class – the top-scoring driver in their first full Super2 season, under the age of 25 and in a car which meets current homologation specifications.
The prize pool was announced alongside confirmation that the Super2 Series will be contested over six rounds in 2020.
Adelaide, Tasmania, Townsville, Sydney, Bathurst and Sandown will make up the season, with Newcastle dropped to contain costs.
