Where Hazelwood stands on future after cameo

Todd Hazelwood maintains he would return to Supercars full-time with the "right opportunity," following his impressive cameo in Darwin.

Substituting for the unwell Brodie Kostecki, Hazelwood raced the #17 Shell V-Power Mustang to 12th in the betr Darwin Triple Crown finale, just hours after being thrust into the car.

In what was his first solo Supercars race since the start of 2024, when he stood in for Kostecki at Erebus Motorsport, Hazelwood qualified a standout 13th.

Having taken a step back from full-time racing, Hazelwood has made strides on and off track, winning last year's Trans Am title and launching his business 'Todd's Garage', which is focused on racing, restorations, tuning, and projects.

However, the door remains ajar for Hazelwood to return to the main game — albeit, with the right team, at the right time.

"I'd love to be in Supercars with the right opportunity,” the 2017 Super2 champion told Supercars.com.

“The big thing for me now is, you do things properly or you don't do it at all. Hence why I'm with Dick Johnson Racing, because they do things properly and I work with one of the best guys in the field with Brodie.

“Moving forward, I want to do things properly. I think the proof has been in the pudding the last couple of years for me, personally. I’ve had more success in two years than what I did in the last five years.

"It's all about surrounding yourself with the right people and ultimately that's what's gonna dictate your success in Supercars. The field's so close, it’s so competitive.

“But if the planets aligned, if the right opportunity arises, I'd love to entertain it."

A Bathurst winner with Kostecki in 2024, Hazelwood followed the 2023 champion to DJR last season, and reasserted himself as the leading co-driver in the field with a brilliant performance at The Bend.

The questions resurfaced as early as his Bathurst win in 2024, when he insisted he was "happy" racing again after some tough years in the full-time game. After their win at The Bend last September, Kostecki insisted Hazelwood was "definitely" good enough to slot back onto the grid.

The Darwin performance reaffirmed to many — including Hazelwood himself — that he is well and truly full-time Supercars quality. However, he refuses to look too far ahead, instead keeping focus on how he is putting in the work to deliver for Kostecki and DJR at the year's longest races.

“It was a bit of a shot in the arm of confidence knowing that I can still drive a Supercar somewhat competitively, that I can still take it to the best in Supercars," Hazelwood said of Darwin.

“Other co-drivers watching, I'm sure they were a little bit envious of me getting some extra laps. But you’ve got to take every opportunity that you get in this sport, and for me, it was great preparation.

“I felt last year my preparation for the Bend 500 was squeaky clean, and it’s the same this year. I've been doing a lot of racing, doing a lot of track day stuff, I’m essentially working on a race car or at the race track every day of the week.

"I think that really showed dividends last year at The Bend, whereas some other drivers don't do much throughout the season, and they sort of take that first round to blow out the cobwebs and be on the pace by Bathurst.

“For me, it's head down, bum up and make the most of the opportunity.”

Hazelwood will resume his Trans Am title defence on the Supercars undercard in Perth on July 31-August 2, before strapping into the #17 Ford at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend on September 11-13.