Why the time is right for Smith's Supercars comeback

A combination of giving back to SCT Motorsport, partnering with Jaxon Evans and rediscovering his desire of racing has steered Jack Smith’s Supercars comeback.

Smith will contest his first Supercars race since November 2023 alongside Evans at this weekend’s AirTouch 500 at The Bend.

Beyond turning a handful of laps in Sydney in February, Smith’s only genuine running in the SCT Camaro this year came at the pre-enduro test day in Ipswich on August 12.

In preparation for his starts alongside Evans at The Bend and Mount Panorama, Smith has competed in Trans Am.

All told, while the news of his comeback may have seemed a surprise to some, Smith believes the time is right to get back on the horse.

“There's always a lot of thoughts that go into that,” Smith told Supercars.com of making his comeback.

“Retiring from full-time racing a couple of years ago was a big decision. Just to have the opportunity to come back and try and provide some value to the team is cool.

“More than anything, from a personal level, it was a want to come back racing. It's obviously something that I've done forever and love."

Evans has been a hard-luck story of 2025. After knocking on the door of the top 10 after Tasmania, the Kiwi suffered a rotten run of DNFs to see his campaign unravel in dramatic fashion.

Smith steps in at a time the SCT squad has nothing to lose, and Smith believes the timing couldn’t be better to come back and have a crack.

"I think Jaxon and I will make a good team and hopefully we can get some good results out of that,” Smith said.

“Obviously, results have been tricky for Jaxon this season, he’s had some terrible luck throughout the year.

“I know Jaxon well, we obviously drove together for a couple of years back when I was the main driver. Coming back, it felt like a good fit, and it was the right time to come back and have a go.”

Smith also returns at a time the goalposts have moved regarding on-track combat, with racing rules loosened somewhat. How that translates for co-drivers remains to be seen, although Smith knows he’s in the same boat as everyone else.

“Everyone will be adapting as they always do every year from a a co-driver perspective,” he said.

“Not being in the cars all year has its downsides. But, as far as being a co-driver goes, everyone's in the same boat. They’ll all be learning and adapting together.

“It’ll be a matter of who can do a better job.”

As for the team’s future as a Toyota squad, with Brad Jones Racing shifting to Supras from next season, Smith was intrigued, adding: "I think the move to Toyota is an exciting prospect for the category and the team.

“I'm really looking forward to seeing how that goes. As far as my involvement with it all, time will tell.”

Track action at Tailem Bend will commence on Friday. Tickets are on sale now.