Payne finds unlikely ally amid 'noise'

Matt Payne's ability to shun potential distraction and turn it into results has impressed Supercars rival Will Brown.

Penrite Racing and General Motors have been in a tug-of-war over the services of Payne, who committed to the Ford team through to the end of 2027 with a decisive statement to silence the rumours.

From broken wrists to blocked NASCAR cameos, and everything in between, Payne has been a magnet to headlines and questions.

Through all the noise, Payne and his team have continued to deliver results, with the Bathurst champion scoring a season-high 10 podiums through 19 races this season, and sits 15 points from the series lead.

Payne's ability to sustain performance has caught the eye of Triple Eight rival Brown, who cited his own battles with contract speculation while trying to fight for a championship.

Then Erebus Motorsport driver Brown was in the thick of the 2023 title fight when news emerged of his deal with Triple Eight. Brown failed to secure a single podium for the remainder of the 2023 season after the deal was announced.

"I’m impressed with how good of a job he is doing with all the noise behind the scenes,” Brown said on his Lucky Dogs podcast.

“I know we all act like it doesn’t affect us, and you go, ‘It wouldn’t bother me even if this was all going on’.

“But you’re working with crew members that, if they think you’re trying to leave the team or anything like that, they probably get a little bit upset about it, which is completely fair. I remember that with Erebus.

“So kudos to Matt, because god, he is performing."

It hasn't affected Payne's team either, Penrite Racing CEO Brenton Grove telling media in Darwin: “You see the performances we’re putting in, I don’t think it’s determined anything this year.

“Hopefully the external noise quietens down because there’s nothing to see, but internally it didn’t make any difference for us.”

Payne and Brown will resume their 2026 campaigns at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 10-12.