The return of Reynolds, and the reality checks that came with it

Even after 909 days between sprint race podiums, there was a tinge of disappointment for David Reynolds as he celebrated his runner-up finish in Tasmania.

The Team 18 veteran saluted the chequered flag in Race 14 last weekend with a brilliant podium, his first of the season, first since Bathurst last October, and first in a solo race since the 2023 Adelaide 500.

Reynolds' season had stammered and stuttered to Tasmania, with a top five in Sydney overshadowed by teammate Anton De Pasquale'e superb victory.

The nadir came in Christchurch, when he was taken out just seconds into his 500th Supercars race. It couldn't have been going worse. At that point, as he quipped in Tasmania, he would have traded his own Mum for a trophy.

Come Tasmania, and the tides turned. The Team 18 Camaros were fast. Still, there was an element of trial by fire for Reynolds: having qualified towards the front, he still had to unveil whether he still had what it took to race for trophies.

He responded in kind, even barging past De Pasquale to claim track position. By the end of 50 laps, only Chaz Mostert was ahead, Reynolds finishing second.

Having had a taste of the podium, he wants more. The celebrations were charismatic, as expected. He loved seeing the smiles of his crew, and even gave local MP Rob Fairs a smooch on the podium.

Crucially, though, he wants to literally keep his Mum.

“You try the same amount week in, week out, and the result varies drastically. But you feel so great when [a podium] happens and you want more of it," Reynolds told Supercars.com.

“When I said I'd trade my Mum in to be on the podium, that was the round before. Because when you're down the back and you're making no pace, being at the front just seems nearly impossible.

"But then when you're at the front, it's like, I didn't try any different than when I was coming 20th, so I still want to keep my Mum."

As is often the case in racing, with the good comes the bad. A reality check came in the day's second race, when Reynolds was penalised over a clash with Brodie Kostecki. Having a fast car comes with a price should you trip up.

"The only problem is the consequence is bigger when you’re at the front. My car was good enough for the top four in both races," Reynolds continued.

“But that weekend reconfirms my thoughts about the sport already. It's an equipment-based sport. In Christchurch, we had a lot of dramas with the car. After that, we fixed all the dramas with the car. The category's made a change with our aero balance.

“It's not like I magically woke up and learned how to drive or anything like that. The car gave me the confidence and gave me the grip to allow me to drive the car properly.

“When you're further back in the pack, the driving standards lower quite a lot, I think. Even when really good drivers go back in the pack, they still suffer the mid-pack mentality. It's like the world championship for 20th, it's shocking.

“Some of the battles you have in the pack towards the back are probably far more entertaining, there's not a lot at stake back there except ego. People fight harder over ego than anything else in life."

Getting home on Sunday night was also bittersweet. As he tucked his kids into bed, he copped a zinger which gave him another welcoming reality check about how tough the sport is at the moment.

"I was putting my kids to bed when I got back home, and [son] Ryu said, ‘Why'd you come second? Why didn't you win?' He wanted to know what the difference was. I said, ‘We’re trying’," Reynolds laughed.

"Missy [daughter Ravayah], she's only three God bless her, but instead of saying congratulations she said, 'Happy birthday, Daddy’."

There's still work to be done. Reynolds is 226 points from a Finals spot. This time last year, he was 148 points down, despite being three positions worse off in the championship.

However, everything came together at Symmons Plains, offering hope that Reynolds has something to fight with. When asked if he felt genuine improvement, Reynolds replied: “100%. From the start of the year there were glimpses of hope, and then at Grand Prix we made a change with my car that really helped.

“We’ve had progressive moments during the year, but they just sort of all came together at Tassie. When we rolled out of the truck my car was just fast. It gave me confidence and I wasn't making all these corrections where normally I would be with the steering wheel.

“Obviously, racing is so much more enjoyable at the front of the grid. Realistically, there's 24 guys and they only reward the top three. So your chances of getting an award is pretty slim just based off the numbers.

“You set out to win, which we always do, but we generally end up more disappointed than not. You come 20th the last two rounds and then you turn up and you finish second, but you're still disappointed with second."

Reynolds resumes his 2026 campaign in Darwin on June 19-21.