Ojeda buzzing over shock Finals shot

It was only two rounds ago that Jayden Ojeda's Finals hopes were left hanging by a thread after a nightmare round at Queensland Raceway.

A wretched weekend — highlighted by a penalty for turning David Reynolds and another self-induced spin trying to pass Andre Heimgartner — saw Ojeda drop to 198 points off the Finals bubble at the worst time.

A career-best Supercars finish of fifth at The Bend initially didn't do much to mow into that margin, but when James Golding and Richie Stanaway were disqualified, the pathway to Finals opened right up for a swarm of drivers.

Ojeda was one of them, what would have been a 165-point deficit crushed down to just a 70-point deficit to Jack Le Brocq ahead of the cut-off race at Bathurst, and he is bullish that he can launch himself into the Finals at the last gasp.

"100% we can, we're amongst it. There's a little bit of a margin to JLB, but from JLB down it's basically we're all super, super close," Ojeda told Supercars.com.

"Ultimately it's about just going there and putting on our best performance, but if JLB didn't have the best of rounds then it puts everything right on the table for everyone."

Ojeda's points margin to the bubble is the tightest it's been since the opening round of the year at Sydney, though he left the opening round 22nd in points having had a wheel fall off in pit lane in the second race of the year.

Since then, it's been a rollercoaster rookie year, though he has been by far and away the best of a highly-touted rookie crop with 10 top 10 finishes, and three Top Ten Shootouts.

However, he now factors into Ryco Enduro Cup calculations, he and Russell entering Bathurst fifth behind Bend winners Chaz Mostert and Fabian Coulthard, 85 points adrift. Should they win the Enduro Cup, Ojeda will bump into Finals irrespective of his points position.

Ojeda said of his Finals chances: "Well the margin is the smallest it's been for a while, so for sure it's more realistic than ever before.

"Honestly, after Queensland Raceway and the shocker of a round that we had there, I didn't really fully believe.

"Even as the race finished on Sunday at Tailem Bend, it was still quite a stretch, but with Golding getting the disqualification it brings a lot of people right up into it.

"It's been the season goal, and it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing to get there, but to be right in it heading up to Bathurst now is pretty exciting.

"I'm just looking forward to getting stuck into the weekend and having a red hot crack."

However, both Ojeda and PremiAir are only all too aware that Bathurst could have plenty of twists in store.

Last year, both parties had potential wins stripped away in cruel circumstances. Ojeda was denied by a late engine drama for Walkinshaw Andretti United co-driver Ryan Wood, while PremiAir crossed the line first with James Golding and Russell, only to be demoted to third with a post-race penalty.

There will be an emphasis on just finishing 1000km, especially after several teams made key errors in a wild 500km lead-in at Tailem Bend.

There's no question that execution, and being in position to capitalise on misfortune ahead, will be vital in the Finals battle, Ojeda saying: "Obviously from my own experience last year, and the team as well from their experience, it's a crazy, crazy race.

"Anything can happen at any point, no matter how close to the finish you are, so ultimately it's just going there and having that in mind.

"Understanding that even if something does happen to go wrong at any point during the race, it all can turn around pretty quickly, whether that be good or bad.

"You just stay motivated, and stay super focused each step of the way."

Jayden Ojeda's Finals 2026 progression