NASCAR twist in Payne/General Motors saga

A General Motors bid to hand Matt Payne a NASCAR Cup Series debut has been denied, it can be revealed.

First revealed on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton, Payne was set to make a surprise debut in the Cup Series at Sonoma on June 28.

GM had aimed to place Payne with Richard Childress Racing, which handed former GM Supercars drivers Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown their Cup debuts.

Payne, who has raced Grove Fords in Supercars since his 2023 debut, has been targeted by GM to lead its Supercars effort with homologation squad Team 18.

The Bathurst champion is contracted to Penrite Racing until the end of 2027.

In a statement, Penrite Racing boss Stephen Grove confirmed that his team’s alliance with Ford was key to Payne being unable to race for a "competing manufacturer."

Payne is also recovering from wrist surgery after a mountain bike accident last month, with Grove also maintaining the team’s priority is to protect the Kiwi’s recovery. In pointed remarks, Grove also questioned by GM would offer a NASCAR drive to current Ford driver Payne, rather than present an opportunity to a driver from GM’s stable.

“Grove Racing confirms that it did not approve Matt Payne’s request to participate in a NASCAR race for General Motors,” Grove said in a statement provided to Supercars.com.

"Matt is contracted to Grove Racing until the end of the 2027 season, and during that period, he is not permitted to participate in any driving opportunity that conflicts with his contractual obligations to Grove Racing.

"Grove Racing takes its commercial and technical relationship with Ford Racing seriously and at no time would look to jeopardise that for a one off NASCAR drive with a competing manufacturer."

Full statement from Stephen Grove, Grove Racing Executive Chairman

Grove Racing confirms that it did not approve Matt Payne’s request to participate in a NASCAR race for General Motors.

Matt is contracted to Grove Racing until the end of the 2027 season, and during that period, he is not permitted to participate in any driving opportunity that conflicts with his contractual obligations to Grove Racing. Grove Racing takes its commercial and technical relationship with Ford Racing seriously and at no time would look to jeopardise that for a one off NASCAR drive with a competing manufacturer.

Matt has recently returned from a significant wrist injury. Grove Racing’s priority is to ensure Matt is managed responsibly, protects his recovery, and remains fully focused on his commitments with the team. Matt is a central part of Grove Racing’s program, and we do not consider it appropriate or commercially responsible to expose him to additional physical risk in an unfamiliar racing environment, particularly one that carries no direct benefit to Grove Racing’s championship objectives.

Grove Racing has invested heavily in Matt’s development over a number of years and remains fully committed to him. Equally, we expect that commitment to be respected by all parties.

We are also surprised that General Motors would look beyond its own substantial stable of talented Supercars drivers in Australia and instead approach a contracted driver from a competing manufacturer. GM has access to a deep pool of capable Australian drivers with direct manufacturer alignment, and the ability to represent its program without interfering with another team’s contractual position.

Given Matt has not previously raced in NASCAR or at the relevant circuit, it is difficult to understand why General Motors would seek to involve a contracted Grove Racing driver rather than one of its own aligned drivers.

Grove Racing looks forward to the next Supercars round in Darwin next weekend.

Payne has been in the Grove family since 2021, moving from Carrera Cup into Super2, and into Supercars in 2023.

The 23-year-old currently sits second behind Broc Feeney heading to Darwin on June 19-21.