Shootout debut leaves Gray hungry for more
Rylan Gray made first Shootout appearance in Townsville
Speed a boost to reigning Super2 champion's rookie season
Teammate Brodie Kostecki has contributed 70% of DJR's teams' points
A career-first Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout appearance has left Shell V-Power Racing Team rookie Rylan Gray eager to build into a strong second half of the his maiden Supercars campaign.
Whilst teammate Brodie Kostecki has emerged as one of 2026's key championship threats with more wins and pole positions than any other driver, 19-year-old Gray has had an anonymous start to the season.
Dick Johnson Racing Team Manager Tom Moore reassured that Gray was on-track with the team's internal expectations in Darwin, to which the reigning DUNLOP Super2 Series champion responded with a strong weekend in Townsville.
A Saturday Shootout run could prove the first of many in the highly-touted teenager's career, and came as a result of a concerted effort in the lead-up.
"Yeah it was pretty cool, I always love Townsville, so it was good to make one here," said the teenager on the Equip Super Cool Down Lap.
"We did a lot of pre-event stuff to be best prepared as we can, and it's paid off, so we'll keep working hard and hopefully get in a few more in upcoming rounds."
Gray recorded dual top 10 finishes in Christchurch, but his Shootout run in Townsville was a career-first top 10 qualifying effort in Supercars.
When asked if he feel it will unlock consistent speed for the rest of the season, Gray responded: "Yeah I think so. All the speed has been there, I just haven't been able to put it together for a whole weekend.
"This weekend, we maybe 50% did that. We were a bit unlucky in yesterday's race breaking an anti-roll bar like lap 4, and then the start of this race getting sent back and flick spinning and nearly hitting Andre [Heimgartner], so that was good fun as well.
"But it's slowly coming, so hopefully it unlocks a bit more coming to the next few rounds."
Gray also feels a responsibility to add a stronger contribution to DJR's teams' championship total of 2085, of which Kostecki has contributed 70%.
"Obviously Brodie's been doing the heavy lifting, so if I was up there a bit more, we'd definitely be a bit higher," Gray continued.
"I think at the back end of the year I can start putting some decent results together and some more points.
"We're slowly climbing the teams' and the points championship for myself as well. We just need to be more consistent and just do a better job from myself, to be honest."
Gray moved up two positions to 19th in the championship over the weekend, and is third of the rookies behind standout Jayden Ojeda in 12th and 2024 Super2 champion Zach Bates in 17th.
The 2026 Repco Supercars Championship continues at the Bosch Power Tools Perth Super 440 from July 31-August 2.
