Craig’s Corner: My take on team tactics, and my contenders for the top four
This is the seventh exclusive Supercars.com column by Supercars Hall of Famer Craig Lowndes for the 2025 season. Seven-time Bathurst winner Lowndes will preview each round of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship from his own perspective, continuing with this weekend’s Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440.
Looking back at the first seven rounds of the season, Broc Feeney has shown that he's the one to beat in the championship. He has dominated the sprint rounds and he deserves to be where he is.
We've seen others get some great results throughout the year. Cam Waters started the season off extremely strong. Will Brown and Matt Payne have had big moments. There’s been a mixed bag of winners, but Broc has been the clear standout.
Many drivers, like Payne, have stepped up this season and, should they make Finals, can make a big impact. I look to Ryan Wood, someone who has impressed many people, who could ruffle some feathers.
So, can you pick a top four? On current form, Broc will win the Sprint Cup and gets into The Finals, but whoever fills those next three spots, it’s anyone’s guess.
At the moment, I think there's seven solid contenders that will be vying for the last three spots — that’s Will Brown, Matt Payne, Cam Waters, Chaz Mostert, Brodie Kostecki, Anton De Pasquale and Ryan Wood.
That’s a serious bunch of drivers that will be fighting for those spots. It will be cutthroat, there will be so much pressure, and that often leads to drama.
Make no mistake, it’s going to get harder in The Finals. Elimination pressure will be immense. It will be very interesting to see how teams tactics play out, whether teams have one or two drivers in The Finals, and whether teammates will be there to help the other out.
All told, we haven't yet seen the full extent of what this new format is going to deliver, and that’s really exciting.
On the prospect of team tactics and using teammates to influence races, I would not be surprised if intra-team tactics play a part as we go further into the elimination rounds, especially when it drops to seven drivers.
On the other end of the coin, there are so many good drivers trying to get into The Finals. From seventh down to 16th, it's quite close. I would not want my season to be determined in the enduros. I can’t imagine the pressure some of the co-drivers will be under.
Teams pick co-drivers to support the main driver, but it’s vital the co-driver realises it's not just not a race win at stake, it’s an entire season.
It’s six years between drinks for Queensland Raceway, and there are plenty of unknowns. We haven’t raced Gen3 cars there, and while Queensland teams have logged hundreds of laps in testing, we don’t have much of a form guide beyond what has happened this season.
It’s a cool place, and it's great to see what Tony Quinn has done to the facilities. Queensland Raceway is great for spectator, and it’s now a great venue. Along the back straight, there'll be car clubs lining up, the hills will be packed, and the pit facilities are first class.
Looking to the races, I think there will be some tyre degradation there. Having four right-handers and two left-hand corners, the left hand rear tyre is going to cop a hiding.
It’s also a big weekend for Zach Bates, who makes his Supercars debut in a Triple Eight wildcard. Having been by his side at a recent test day, he looks like he’s in a great position. In the months after winning the Super2 title last year, he’s matured a lot, and knows how to deal with pressure.
The Queensland Raceway event will be really good for him in a lot of ways. That’s getting used to the car, the format, his rivals, his engineer Matty Saunders, and having a full weekend of trying to get the car set-up right.
The pressure that Zach will be under will be enormous, but I have no doubt that he will deal with it, given he's doing double duties with Super2. He has to maintain focus on both Super2 and Supercars, and while he’ll have a lot going on, he'll rise to the occasion.
Finally, in a special moment, myself, Garth and Frosty and welcoming a new member to the ‘600 club’ in James Courtney. It’s a big number, and it's recognition of his longevity in the sport.
He's been at the top of the game for a long time, and when you look back on his career, he has achieved some incredible things.
The JC memory that sticks out is the Homebush race when ending up beating Jamie Whincup to the title. We all crashed when the rain fell, and Dick Johnson Racing literally zip-tied the car back together. I actually ended up in the back of JC's car!
It was total carnage, and DJR’s DIY efforts helped him clinch the championship. It was some moment.
