The field of 10 Repco Supercars Finals Series contenders has been locked in, while for those on the outside, the coulda, woulda, shoulda's begin.
It's been a very fluid season throughout the midfield, with several movers and shakers in what became a very closely fought battle for the back end of the top 10.
Ultimately, Matt Stone Racing veteran Jack Le Brocq won out in what was a six-way scrap, with Andre Heimgartner, Thomas Randle, James Golding, Jayden Ojeda, and David Reynolds all on the outside looking in.
So, what — if anything — went wrong? Supercars.com unpacks the seasons of those who just missed the Finals cut.
Andre Heimgartner
Yet again, Andre Heimgartner finds himself as the driver in 11th entering Finals, though this time it's less of a heartbreaker. It's been a learning campaign for Brad Jones Racing in 2026 — swapping from running four Chevrolets to three Toyotas has been a massive undertaking. That has come with teething issues however, Heimgartner struck down by engine failures at Sydney and Townsville. They proved big blows to his Finals chances, and although he claimed a dominant victory in Tasmania, he also couldn't replicate the feat in an inconsistent year.
Thomas Randle
As soon as Thomas Randle fell 230 points behind the bubble after missing the Darwin finale, it was always going to be a long road back. Despite rallying from Townsville, it was too tall of an order. While Cam Waters managed to remain well entrenched among the top 10 despite Tickford's poor start to the year, Randle couldn't, with a damaging New Zealand Double Header placing him behind the eight ball, and Darwin the final nail.
James Golding
The hard luck story of those who missed out was James Golding and the Blanchard Racing Team, who despite career best seasons missed the cut. It's a particularly tough pill having initially left The Bend with a 107-point buffer, only for a post-race disqualification for a drive time breach to drop him to a position he couldn't recover from. Had there been no disqualification, Golding would have qualified off the back of his eight place Bathurst run. As team owner Tim Blanchard surmised at Bathurst: "I think we shot ourselves in the foot at Tailem Bend."
Jayden Ojeda
For Jayden Ojeda to have even been in the Finals picture in the first place is credit to not only the rookie's potential, but also PremiAir's positive direction under Roland Dane. Ojeda has been a shining light with several top 10 appearances, but ultimately he hasn't yet been able to lay his hands on any silverware, something he needed to do to rise higher in the points rankings. For all of his experience around the world in GT, he still has felt the rollercoaster of a rookie year. How he will compare to new teammate Cooper Murray will be interesting to watch.
David Reynolds
For the second year running, David Reynolds will watch his teammate Anton De Pasquale compete for a Supercars title. Team 18 have made big strides this season, De Pasquale winning multiple races, but for whatever reason it hasn't translated for Reynolds, who save for a fine podium in Tasmania, hasn't been able to match the sister #18 entry. Bathurst was a microcosm of the season, De Pasquale doing everything right to win, while Reynolds battled all day with blistering tyres. Reynolds' future remains up in the air.
