Kai Allen on track for strong Finals berth
Second year driver currently 363 points clear of bubble
Allen a 2025 Grand Finalist after entering Finals Series as bottom seed
Kai Allen is on course to secure a simpler passage to the Finals than his rookie season, but the Penrite Racing driver isn’t counting his chickens too early.
In one of the stories of the 2025 season, Allen turned a 195-point deficit to the cut-line after Round 4 into a shock Grand Final berth.
The South Australian has been on the march since the season began in Sydney, when he claimed his first front row start and passed Broc Feeney around the outside of Turn 1 in a statement of intent.
With four rounds left before the 2026 cut-off, Allen is 363 points clear of 11th, a whopping 443 points better off than he was leaving Townsville this time last year.
Chinks in Allen’s armour have emerged throughout the season, though, keeping him honest. For the most part, it has been out of his control, from a mechanical failure in Sydney, to a slow stop in Townsville.
However, he also qualified poorly in Melbourne, and was caught up in a series of incidents in both Melbourne, Tasmania and Townsville.
For Allen, the plan is simple — keep doing what you’re doing, and the rest will take care of itself.
“It’s getting to the pointy end. But it's a good opportunity to keep doing what I've been doing and maximise every time I go out and race,” Allen told Supercars.com.
“Sure, we’ve had a decent year so far. We've had a few hiccups along the way, but ultimately we're in a really strong spot to try and lock ourselves in the Finals. But it's not as easy as it sounds.
“You can have a few bad races and you're knocked out. So I've just got to keep doing what I've been doing and be really consistent.”
Allen only secured his 2025 Finals berth at the last chance of asking in Bathurst, on a day he was beaten from pillar to post, and even dodged a kangaroo at 300km/h.
A resurgent Penrite Racing, led by ex-Ferrari Formula 1 engineer Riccardo Corte, has helped Allen find greater balance in 2026. That relationship will be put to the test in Perth, where qualifying largely dictates where you end up in the race.
“We had a few things to work on after Townsville, which is really good,” Allen said.
“Riccardo and myself have really dived deep and worked hard in that gap. I'm not sure how it's gonna go this weekend, but we'll find out.
“Perth is quite a tricky track, but I think we'll be in good shape for the weekend.
“But I just want to keep improving as a driver and combo with Riccardo. I think the team's in a really good spot. Matty [Payne, teammate] is doing a great job.
“But I’ve got a bit to learn and still gotta realise it's my second year and I'm still young and still learning. But at the same time, I'm excited that I've got areas to improve and I'll just keep working hard.”
Allen's season continues in Perth, where track action begins on Friday.
