Supercars silly season: What WTWGR extensions mean for rest of grid

The 2025/26 Supercars silly season was a wild one. Of the 24 drivers who contested the majority of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship, only 14 remained in the same seat in 2026.

That comes as teams swung a variety of changes, whether that was hiring proven race winners, or looking ahead for the next big thing amid the growing shift towards speedy young guns.

However, at the top end of town, it was relatively quiet, with the big teams maintaining stability heading into the new season. But as it stands with current contract expiry dates, that won’t be the same heading into 2027.

With some big seats on the market, and rumours already swirling around one of the sport’s brightest young talents, the next silly season could swing into full gear before we know it.

The first move

The first big move of silly season has been made by Walkinshaw TWG Racing, which have locked down both Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood to at least 2028.

The re-signing of Mostert is particularly important, as this was initially a contract year for the reigning champion, with some questioning if he was willing to bide his time with the brand-new Toyota project.

After he shut down links to General Motors, rumours around Bathurst last year even suggested Mostert was interested in the new SCT Motorsport/Triple Eight venture.

However, the early indications have been that the Toyota is already a serviceable package, and Mostert's decision to stay with the team could be the biggest indication yet that Toyota will be a force to be reckoned with.

The extensions of both Mostert and Wood's contracts mean that 13 drivers have contracts for next season and/or beyond.

WTWGR become just the fourth team to have a full contracted driver line-up for 2027, following Red Bull Ampol Racing signing Will Brown and Broc Feeney through to 2029, whilst Tickford have Cam Waters and Thomas Randle locked in until 2027.

Penrite Racing also have Matt Payne and Kai Allen contracted into next year, with Allen's deal extended to the end of 2030 at the start of the year. However, Payne's future is the subject of heavy scrutiny, amidst General Motors' continued push to boost their stocks post-Triple Eight.

Other drivers contracted beyond this year are Dick Johnson Racing's Brodie Kostecki (2030), Erebus Motorsport's Jobe Stewart (2028), Blanchard Racing Team's James Golding (2027), Brad Jones Racing's Cameron Hill (2027), and SCT Motorsport's Jackson Walls (2027).

The Bathurst champ

It’s arguably the biggest domino to fall, and Matt Payne’s future with Penrite Racing has been brought under the microscope following a breakout season, despite being contracted through to the end of 2027.

A five-win 2025 campaign, including an extraordinary Bathurst win, saw the Kiwi become General Motors’ latest target to become their star signing, and a serious play for the 23-year-old is thought to have been made.

The recent departure of former Penrite technical chief Grant McPherson to join GM has only further fuelled the rumours that Payne is set to cross the Ford/GM divide, and prompted an strongly-worded statement from Stephen Grove.

When quizzed on the matter through the week on MotorRacing 360, Payne was coy, saying: “My job at the moment is to go fast in the race car I’m in — that’s the Ford Mustang with Penrite Racing, so that’s what I’m focused on."

The Grove squad's proactiveness in locking down Kai Allen to a mega deal through to the end of 2030 could be viewed in two different ways.

It could be viewed as a mere formality after his magnificent debut season in which he secured a Grand Final berth, or it could be viewed as a safeguard to secure at least one of their young stars.

We await with interest to see what happens here. If he was to leave, it also opens up a seat at Supercars’ latest powerhouse operation.

What will Chevrolet's future look like?

Beyond the big question of whether or not Payne decides to take on a new challenge with GM, both of the bow tie's homologation team drivers are out of contract at the end of the year.

Anton De Pasquale impressed in his first season at Team 18, and started 2026 with a bang with an impressive race win in Sydney, whilst David Reynolds was within a second of stealing a shock Bathurst win.

Reynolds is keeping his head down amid the speculation surrounding Payne's potential GM switch, though if Payne was to join Team 18 through GM, it's highly likely Reynolds will be the one to make way.

Beyond Team 18, there are plenty of questions surrounding the wider Chevrolet driving roster, with Matt Stone Racing, Erebus Motorsport, and PremiAir Racing all having drivers in contract years.

In fact, the only Chevrolet driver locked in beyond 2026 is highly-rated Erebus rookie Jobe Stewart, who has a seat until 2028.

Outside of Team 18, the brightest spark for Chevrolet and GM has been Jack Le Brocq's return to MSR, which has yielded Le Brocq's best ever start to a Supercars season.

Cooper Murray also showed glimpses of real speed at Erebus last year, and PremiAir could also be steered back in the right direction under new Team Principal Roland Dane.

What are the other burning questions?

As it currently stands, Team 18, Dick Johnson Racing, Brad Jones Racing, Matt Stone Racing, Erebus Motorsport, PremiAir Racing, and Blanchard Racing Team all officially have seats to fill, whilst Penrite Racing would join the list should Payne depart.

Team 18, BJR, MSR, and PremiAir all have two seats each, whilst the remaining teams have one seat available.

Whilst many will likely be filled be contract extensions for current drivers, there will be movement for others. Some could have major implications on the way the field looks going forward.

Race winners Anton De Pasquale, David Reynolds, Andre Heimgartner, and Jack Le Brocq are the biggest names off contract at the end of the season, however it is Reynolds whose future is under the most scrutiny.

Who are the next ones up?

The last silly season saw an unprecedented level of young talent make their way into the main game, however there are still scores of rising stars looking to break into a full-time drive.

Chief among these candidates is Lochie Dalton, who leads the Super2 standings after the opening round after finishing second last year, and has scored a plum enduro drive at Erebus alongside Murray.

Bayley Hall is the latest young charger to land himself in Chevrolet's Supercheap Auto wildcard alongside Craig Lowndes, a production line that has produced Broc Feeney, Declan Fraser, Cooper Murray, and Zach Bates.

Nash Morris, Reuben Goodall, and Ben Gomersall have all emerged as strong contender's from Tickford's Super2 lineup, with Morris returning to a PremiAir co-drive, and the latter two rumoured to be in the running solo wildcards with Tickford later this year.

Goodall will also make his Ryco Enduro Cup debut alongside Thomas Randle in the #55 Mustang later in the year.

Current Supercars driver contracts (as of April 10, 2026)

Per team announcements