Sink or swim? The Supercars eras that ended in 2024
No fewer than five driver-and-team combinations said goodbye to each other after the season-ending VAILO Adelaide 500, before setting sail on new eras from 2025.
Two series champions departed teams after long stays, one moving on from the squad that delivered him the title, with the other's 21-year spell in the full-time game ending.
Another driver retired, one's tenure at a championship-winning team ended, while a Bathurst winner has earned a second chance following a disappointing season.
Here’s the full list of all the eras that ended in 2024, why the drivers and teams are parting ways, and what defined their time together.
Brodie Kostecki and Erebus Motorsport
Years: 2021-2024
Why it's ending: Driver and team relationship reached a point where reigning champion Brodie Kostecki didn't race in the first two rounds of 2024, before Dick Johnson Racing pulled off the coup of Kostecki's signature for 2025.
The defining moments: Erebus handed Kostecki his first big co-drive in 2020, before giving him his full-time start in 2021. Kostecki delivered immediately with a podium at Sandown, before finishing third in Bathurst. A maiden pole and more trophies followed in 2022, before Kostecki emerged as the benchmark in the first season of the Gen3 era. Championship glory was followed by the dramatic start to 2024, before Kostecki returned and crushed the field in Bathurst and Surfers Paradise.
Anton De Pasquale and Dick Johnson Racing
Years: 2021-2024
Why it's ending: Anton De Pasquale delivered nine wins in four seasons in the afterglow of the Scott McLaughlin/Penske era, and the team is undergoing big changes. De Pasquale leapt at a chance at Team 18, with Winterbottom moved on to make way for the 29-year-old.
The defining moments: McLaughlin and Penske were always going to be hard acts to follow, but a double driver change for 2021 at least gave De Pasquale and Will Davison a clean slate. De Pasquale won more races and claimed more poles in the four years, but Davison was more consistent. De Pasquale won five races in the 2021 Sydney swing, but managed just two wins across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. A 2023 Bathurst podium and surprise Jason Richards Memorial Trophy win this year proved the Victorian still knew how to extract a strong result, even when DJR was largely off the pace.
Mark Winterbottom and Team 18
Years: 2019-2024
Why it's ending: Despite thinking a deal was done for 2025, Mark Winterbottom was moved on for De Pasquale, who is 14 years his junior.
The defining moments: Team 18 was struggling when Winterbottom arrived in 2019, with the Ford star making a huge leap of faith. He delivered an early highlight with pole in Tasmania, but the team's rollercoaster delivered little highlights. Come 2023, and Winterbottom pulled off a stunning victory in Darwin, which will prove his defining success at a team that was unable to give him what he needed to be a consistent factor at the front.
Tim Slade and PremiAir Nulon Racing
Years: 2023-2024
Why it's ending: Tim Slade opted to retire despite standing by the team as it hunted Kostecki's signature. Once informed he wasn't part of the team's plans for 2025, Slade pulled the pin.
The defining moments: Slade arrived at PremiAir Nulon Racing after two impressive seasons with the one-car Blanchard Racing Team squad, where he scored several top 10s and breached the top five on a number of occasions. Ultimately, Slade went through a number of engineer changes and didn't have luck on his side, finishing his two seasons in 19th and 20th. Slade recorded 14 top 10s in 52 starts with the team, with a best of sixth in Tasmania and Sydney in 2023.
Richie Stanaway and Grove Racing
Years: 2024
Why it's ending: After a troubled 2024 campaign, the team didn't renew Richie Stanaway for a second season and swooped on rising star Kai Allen.
The defining moments: A fairytale Bathurst win 2023 ensured Stanaway arrived in 2024 on the front foot, and he left Round 1 a stunning fourth overall. From there, it didn't go Stanaway's way, with poor one-lap pace undoing the New Zealander's hopes. After news broke of his release, Stanaway coincidentally hit form, topping sessions in Tasmania and Sandown, running as top Ford for much of the Repco Bathurst 1000, and claiming a front row start on the Gold Coast. Sadly, he didn't get to race in Adelaide, being ruled out due to concussion following a crash in qualifying.
