A PERFECT storm has brewed to make for a fascinating NTI Townsville 500 this weekend.
An aero parity tweak should have Ford teams, drivers and fans as optimistic as they’ve been all year. The silly season is exploding. And Shane van Gisbergen returns to the paddock following his NASCAR heroics.
All this while there’s an intense championship battle simmering along nicely.
V8 Sleuth picks out five things to watch over the coming days.
Shane van Gisbergen
Let’s start here, and there’s plenty to unpack.
Van Gisbergen’s popularity and respect from fans on both sides of the brand divide seems to be at an all-time high – and rightly so – after his victory on NASCAR Cup Series debut.
He’s set for something of a hero’s welcome in Townsville, having just given Supercars the best possible publicity and maybe even attracted some American eyeballs to the championship.
But how will van Gisbergen handle being back in a Gen3 Supercar which he clearly doesn’t love? Will he ride the wave of momentum and step up his challenge for a fourth title or will there be any sort of Chicago hangover?
And will there be any more hints as to whether he might take Triple Eight team principal Jamie Whincup up on a willingness to not stand in his way of a NASCAR move as soon as 2024 now?
Ford and its stars
The Mustang was generally pretty competitive the last time Supercars raced to a 2x250km format on a street circuit in Newcastle.
How will it fare now with a newly upgraded rear-end aero package?
Cam Waters has been exceptionally fast all season, even if that hasn’t always translated into race results. A big weekend in Townsville would be fitting.
Chaz Mostert meanwhile has continued to fly under the radar; despite Ford’s struggles, he remains within striking distance at 179 points off the championship lead.
Can Mostert soar back into contention to deliver a title for the Blue Oval as he threatened to do in 2015? Qualifying gains and a big points haul at Reid Park are the first steps.
Erebus Motorsport
Speaking of the championship scenario, it’s been a relatively quiet period for Erebus Motorsport despite the fact it holds a one-two courtesy of Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown.
The Coca-Cola Camaros jagged an astounding 17 podiums through the opening four rounds of the season but drifted a touch last time out in Darwin.
Aside from a Race 3 disaster for Kostecki, they still almost always were around the top five but went podiumless.
All the while, Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney established himself as a major threat, closing to within 91 points of Kostecki thanks to an ongoing five-race podium streak.
Can Erebus swing the momentum back in its favour this weekend?
Ryan Wood
It feels like an eternity since the Dunlop Series last raced, but when it did Ryan Wood cemented himself as a star of the future.
In just his second Super2 round, the Walkinshaw Andretti United protégé blitzed the field to win both races in Perth.
Since then he has emerged as a genuine factor in the main game silly season, linked to opportunities at either WAU or Team 18.
Townsville marks the latest chance to see the young Kiwi fly, and also the first test of how he fares with the spotlight firmly on him.
Supercars broadcast
Lastly, for all those who tuned in to watch the NASCAR race in Chicago, this weekend should serve as a reminder as to just how good the Supercars broadcast is.
Fans are quick to criticise graphics or commentators, but the bright lights of NASCAR don’t hold a candle to Supercars’ television production.
NASCAR does plenty of things amazingly well, but the broadcast left a bit to be desired.
For one, there was the commentators having little to no idea how to say van Gisbergen’s surname, or fumbling his nickname as ‘SVJ’.
Some key moments were missed and never replayed, there was no option of an ad-free broadcast (for Australian viewers, at least) and the timing leaderboard updated painstakingly slowly (for example when Denny Hamlin crashed but continued to be shown as running in second).
Supercars’ product is world-class.
This weekend’s action can be seen via the all-encompassing Fox Sports/Kayo Sports coverage, or free-to-air on the Seven Network (12-5pm on Saturday and Sunday).
Repco Supercars Championship track action begins with two practice sessions tomorrow.
