Five bold predictions for the 2026 Supercars season

A new year brings new hope, optimism and rivalry to the Repco Supercars Championship, and in 2026, there's so much to play for.

There have been so many team and driver movements, Toyota has joined, there is a new reigning champion, and there is even a new track in New Zealand.

If 2025 was anything to go by, 2026 could be off the charts.

We will have another first time Supercars champion

Brodie Kostecki, Will Brown and Chaz Mostert gave Supercars a hot streak of first time drivers' champions. So, why not a fourth in four in 2026? The main candidate is Broc Feeney, who was superb last season. Then, there are Matt Payne and Cam Waters, who at times in 2025, where title favourites. Anton De Pasquale went from strength to strength in the second half of the year, while Ryan Wood was brilliant amid a year of mechanical dramas. Any one of these drivers could win the title.

Three 2025 Finals Drivers won't make 2026 Finals

If you thought 2025 was competitive, 2026 bodes to go to another level. That puts pressure on 2025's best performers to back it up this year, and the form (or lack thereof) of some towards the end of the season suggests we won't have the same top 10 in 2026.

Four different teams in Grand Final

Will Brown's heroics at Sandown last year gave Triple Eight a double shot at the crown in Adelaide. What this prediction suggests is that Triple Eight won't have both cars in there this year. It's a very bold prediction, given Triple Eight has had drivers in the top four in the standings in 18 of the last 19 seasons, dating back to 2007. However, this Finals format takes no prisoners.

All three homologation teams win multiple races

Triple Eight (Ford), Walkinshaw Andretti United (Toyota) and Team 18 (General Motors) have big jobs to do this year, balancing homologation duties with on track expectations. WAU (which will be renamed Walkinshaw TWG Racing) has the biggest task, while Triple Eight is jumping from GM to Ford. Team 18 has undergone the fewest changes at the surface, but the workload could either make or break them.

At least one rookie wins a race

The 2026 grid welcomes Zach Bates, Rylan Gray, Jackson Walls, Jayden Ojeda and Jobe Stewart. They're all incredibly talented, and combine for an average age of 21.8. Bates and Gray are Super2 champions, Walls will drive a Triple Eight-prepared Mustang, Ojeda has two rounds with PremiAir Racing under his belt, and Stewart was brilliant in the enduros with Erebus Motorsport. They have the ingredients to shock the establishment.

The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.