Payne camp responds to GM/NASCAR revelation

A potential Matt Payne NASCAR cameo “speaks volumes” about the level of Supercars talent, says manager Michael Patrizi. It emerged Wednesday that a request for Payne to make a surprise NASCAR Cup Series debut was denied by Penrite Racing. Payne had been earmarked to make his Cup debut at Sonoma on June 28, the week after the upcoming betr Darwin Triple Crown. In a statement, Stephen Grove cited the team’s relationship with Ford and Payne’s ongoing recovery from injury as reasons behind the decision. Additionally, Grove questioned why General Motors opted to put Payne in a car, versus a current GM driver.

Racer turned manager Patrizi, who started 45 Supercars races, said a Payne cameo would have been an “incredible opportunity not only for Matthew, but for Australian motorsport.” “Seeing one of our brightest talents compete against NASCAR’s best can only help grow motorsport and inspire the next generations,” Patrizi told CODE Sports. “When a manufacturer like GM wants to place a driver at a top team like [Richard Childress Racing] in their top tier this says a lot about how Matthew is regarded and speaks volumes about how they view Supercars.” Patrizi also cited the impact Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has had on the NASCAR stage. In just his second full-time Cup season, the three-time Supercars champion is 14th in points, and well in contention to qualify for the end-of-season Chase. “What Shane has achieved in NASCAR has been tremendous. He’s opened the door and introduced a whole new audience to the talent coming out of this region,” Patrizi said. “Opportunities like this help continue the story. It would have been a fantastic opportunity for writing another positive story for the sport as a whole.” Payne will resume his Supercars campaign in Darwin on June 19-21.