'Getting Monopoly practice in': Supercars Finals 'tricks' in the spotlight

10 drivers enter the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 with a chance at being crowned the 2025 Supercars champion.

For the remaining 14, they couldn't care less. There are trophies to be won, and a battle to be crowned 'best of the rest' to be had.

It is one of the elements of the Repco Supercars Finals Series that is most intriguing entering the Elimination Final at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500. Any one of the 14 non-finalists could perhaps have the biggest role to play.

Indeed, if you think back to the dying laps of the Repco Bathurst 1000, three of the four drivers slugging it out for the win were drivers who aren't in The Finals; namely Cooper Murray, James Golding, and David Reynolds.

Should such a situation arise once again where we find a surprise order at the head of the field, it could have major implications on the tightly bunched Finals field.

"Obviously the guys that aren't in the 10 are just basically going for race wins and glory," Kostecki told media on Monday.

"We still need to be a bit considerate and race a little bit for points at the same time and try to make it through the stages as much as possible.”

Of the 14 outside of Finals, two of the most experienced drivers on the grid will potentially have a big role to play; namely Reynolds and Will Davison.

Team 18 and Dick Johnson Racing are the only teams to have only one of their drivers contesting The Finals. Both Reynolds and Davison have gone on record to say that they will help Anton De Pasquale and Kostecki respectively.

With no championship hopes to speak of, the possibility of the veterans helping out their teammates has opened right up, with their experience and guile also shaping as valuable assets.

"People that aren't in and do qualify up there, there might be some tactics," Brown said.

"You see people like Brodie, his teammate Will Davison isn't in The Finals, so if he's fast and can put it up there and assist Brodie in any way, it will definitely help.

"It will be interesting to see how those little tricks play out.

"But for us, we have got two Red Bull Ampol cars in there that are both trying to get through to the top four, so I wouldn't say there will be any tricks on our behalf just yet.”

However, for Red Bull Ampol Racing, Penrite Racing, Tickford Racing, and Walkinshaw Andretti United, there is a completely different dynamic at play, as both of their respective drivers will be competing for a championship.

As such, some see a scenario where teams could in essence gang up on those they see as threats to their championship hopes, in an attempt to promote perceived 'weaker' opponents.

Three-time Supercars champion Craig Lowndes foreshadowed such an occurrence in his exclusive Supercars.com column. However, having lost the 2006 title to Rick Kelly amid Walkinshaw gamesmanship, Lowndes cautioned that Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird will be quick to react if the line is crossed.

"My feeling is there will be some team tactics, because if done well, you could potentially drop a rival out of contention. Some drivers could even influence who they want to join them in later rounds, if they believe they have an edge," Lowndes wrote.

"I’ve lived it. Back in 2006, there was genuine gamesmanship going on in the season finale. Back then, we were leading the way for Ford, and there were plenty of games going on from others, beyond just trying to beat Rick Kelly. How it plays out, and how far teams want to go, will be fascinating.

"For teams who have both drivers in The Finals, it’s awkward. Teams are already thinking about how they play the game — it's just a matter of how they execute. Craig Baird and Supercars will be awake to any tricks, and they'll monitor it to some degree. But at the end of the day, it will be decided by which drivers make mistakes."

Ryan Wood, who enters the weekend 18 points below the cut-line in ninth, saw the lighter side of it: "I’m sure there will be plenty of team games this weekend, good thing Chaz and I have been getting a lot of Monopoly practice in."

Tickets for this weekend's event are on sale now.