The Super2 rising stars in Supercars driver market picture
The Supercars silly season is starting to kick into life for another year, with the first pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall into place.
Whilst paddock whispers are mainly surrounding those already amongst the Repco Supercars Championship field in either a full-time or co-driving capacity, some of the brightest names in the Dunlop Super2 Series could also feature.
Whilst this season has been dominated by Tickford Autosport, there are several drivers with established links to main game organisations who could find themselves in line for a career progression into 2026 and beyond.
Supercars.com takes a look at some of Super2's brightest stars, and why they could find themselves in the big leagues in 2026.
Rylan Gray
The series leader has undoubtedly been the class of the field in 2025, and links to a main game promotion would be just reward despite his young age. The 18-year-old will have three main game round starts to his name come season's end, courtesy of Tickford's wildcard program, which could prove invaluable to his 2026 aspirations. Gray has been linked to a seat at Team 18 as they enter their new era as GM's homologation team, however with several race wins to his name in GT4 Australia at the helm of a Mustang, he is also highly thought of within the Ford Performance camp.
Zach Bates
The reigning champion will be the next Super2 winner to debut in the main game when he saddles up in Triple Eight's wildcard Camaro at Ipswich. Double duties will be a big test for the 21-year-old, but the biggest pressure will come at Bathurst, where all eyeballs will be on his illustrious co-driver Craig Lowndes, who will bid farewell to the team. How Bates handles the pressure could be telling in his career progression. His personal and family ties to Toyota brought about early links to Brad Jones Racing, however those have quietened since questions surrounding fellow Canberran Cameron Hill's future emerged.
Nash Morris
A breakout winner in Tasmania, the second generation young gun has been duly rewarded with what is widely believed to be the final co-drive for the 2025 Enduro Cup alongside Richie Stanaway at PremiAir Racing. Although he will feature at an evaluation day on Monday alongside Trans Am star Nathan Herne and V8 SuperUtes ace Cody Brewczynski, it was his efforts in Tasmania that caught the eye of Peter Xiberras. With both James Golding and Stanaway off contract at season's end, a strong enduro campaign and second half of his Super2 season could be the 22-year-old's opening.
Jackson Walls
The former Carrera Cup Junior Champion has been the quiet achiever in his rookie season, and is currently the first of the non-Tickford cars in a fine fifth in points. Leading the charge for Triple Eight's revived Super2 program, the 22-year-old Sydneysider has kept it clean save for a jump start in the opening race of the season, finishing inside the top 10 in all six races this year. With Triple Eight set to offer their customer support to Ford teams from 2026, bringing aboard a Triple Eight junior could be a tantalising prospect for those running Mustangs, especially with the considerable backing he would bring from Objective.
Jobe Stewart
The start to 2025 has been a nightmare for Erebus Motorsport across both their Supercars and Super2 programs, however that hasn't diminished the stocks internally of top academy prospect Jobe Stewart. Erebus CEO Barry Ryan has always sung the 21-year-old's praises, going so far to say he would be the 'pick of the bunch' from the Super2 paddock heading into 2026 late last year. Stewart will line up alongside rookie Cooper Murray in Erebus' #99 Camaro come enduro time, and it could prove to be an audition. Jack Le Brocq is off contract at season's end, and Erebus have a proven track record of signing young talent.
Honourable mentions
As rumours and innuendo fly around, there are several other names within the paddock who could make their presence known. Cameron McLeod has scored a co-drive at Matt Stone Racing this year, and could be in the right place at the right time if co-driver Hill does move on at seasons end. 2024 Rookie of the Year Jarrod Hughes has the backing of General Motors, and will drive a TA2 car alongside Craig Lowndes before making his enduro debut alongside Le Brocq at Erebus. Bailey Sweeny has indicated he wouldn't be opposed to a main game promotion from Blanchard Racing Team's Super2 program, and if Lochie Dalton's Townsville sweep was a sign of things to come, he could emerge as a latecomer into the silly season frame.
