First to 500: Triple Eight set for milestone at Gold Coast

Triple Eight scored 499th Supercars podium in Bathurst
Team set to be first to 500 podiums, was recently first to 250 wins
First podium came at Eastern Creek courtesy of Paul Radisich in 2004

The Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 is looming as the site of significant Triple Eight Race Engineering milestone, with the team edging towards 500 Supercars podiums.

Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway’s Repco Bathurst 1000 victory doubled as the 499th podium for Triple Eight, which debuted in 2003.

The team waited over a year until its first podium, which came at Eastern Creek — now known as Sydney Motorsport Park — courtesy of Paul Radisich in 2004.

The team’s first of 251 race wins also came at Eastern Creek thanks to Craig Lowndes, who claimed six Bathurst victories for the Queensland-based squad.

Triple Eight has rewritten the record books in its time in Supercars, with the van Gisbergen/Stanaway win the team’s record 10th Bathurst victory, breaking the Holden Dealer Team’s tally of nine.

Remarkably, Triple Eight could have celebrated 500 podiums in Bathurst had Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup's efforts not been derailed due to a late gear lever issue.

The team is the only team to 250 wins — let alone 200 — and has the most pole positions (161) and teams’ championships (11).

It shares the record for most drivers’ titles with Dick Johnson Racing (10), and could own that record too should either van Gisbergen and Feeney take out this year’s title.

Triple Eight and Erebus Motorsport have been the powerhouse teams of the 2023 season, winning 20 of the 24 races, and claiming 46 of 72 podium positions.

Erebus has 26 podiums to Triple Eight’s 20, but both teams have 10 victories each.

Triple Eight is almost odds-on to bring up the 500 on the Surfers Paradise streets, given the team has had a car finish in the top three in a race at every round on the Gold Coast since 2007.

Beyond the two leading teams, eight others — DJR, Tickford Racing, Walkinshaw Andretti United, Brad Jones Racing, Penrite Racing, Team 18 and Matt Stone Racing — have all been represented on the podium in 2023.

This year has featured a number of new benchmarks, with MSR and Team 18 claiming their first wins. Feeney and Whincup's Sandown 500 victory was Triple Eight's 250th, with Erebus taking its 50th podium amid its sparkling 2023 form.

Most Supercars podiums (active teams)*