Top 10 Supercars drivers of 2025: #3 Matt Payne
As 2025 winds down, Supercars.com is ranking the top 10 drivers of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship, starting with Matt Payne, who comes in as our #3.
Twice an overall Adelaide winner, a Jason Richards Memorial Trophy winner, and a Bathurst champion, all at 23.
Matt Payne is collecting all of the Supercars infinity stones, and few are left. Save for a brain snap at Sandown, we could be talking about the Penrite Racing driver as a champion.
The Groves had a plan back in 2021 to get a lanky Kiwi teen into Supercars. Within four years, he has become one of the championship's elite, and he has done it his own way.
Talk to Payne, and he'd say he wanted more wins from his 2025 campaign. But the ones he claimed, amid a season of supreme Broc Feeney pace, were extraordinary.
Matt Payne's season stats
Championship position: 5th
Best finish: 1st (Taupō 2x, Tasmania, Bathurst, Adelaide)
Average finish: 5.88
Race head-to-head with teammate: 24-9
Podiums: 10
Best start: 1st (Taupō)
Average start: 7.50
Qualifying head-to-head with teammate: 25-9
Why we picked him
After a quiet start to the year, Payne exploded into life on home soil. He dominated the Taupō opener, before getting his elbows out on Cameron Hill in the finale to claim a hard-earned, classic touring car victory.
Then, he somehow crafted a winning 48-lap final stint in Tasmania, denying Broc Feeney by 0.05s. Already, that's a dominant win, an aggressive win, and a clever win.
Payne continued to score podiums, even when Feeney or rookie teammate Kai Allen had his measure. Then came Bathurst, where after starting 18th, the Kiwi put together one of the great Supercar drives of the 21st century to secure a stunning Great Race victory.
Opinions were split over the clash at Sandown with Cam Waters that killed his Finals hopes. His easy win in the Adelaide finale suggested 2025 will go down as an opportunity missed, but Payne was simply happy to be winning races.
What we expect next season
Therein lies the challenge for Payne and Penrite Racing: they know what it takes to win races, and they know how to find form and consistency to challenge for a championship.
While Kai Allen's Grand Final berth was a welcome story, Payne was team leader, and was expected to fight for the crown in Adelaide.
At 23, Payne has achieved plenty. However, he has plenty more to go yet, and for the Groves, the championship is the next big box. If he finds another gear next season, he could be very hard to stop.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
