WILDCARDS are the flavour of the week in Supercars, as Triple Eight’s effort for Zane Goddard and Craig Lowndes picks up pace.
Cost is a timely aspect to it too, with Walkinshaw Andretti United having had to call off its wildcard hopes.
“We were really keen to run a wildcard entry this year at Sandown and Bathurst but ultimately, with all that has occurred with Gen3 and the costs associated, it unfortunately wasn’t feasible,” explained WAU team principal Bruce Stewart.
MORE: Deadline set for Lowndes wildcard build
There has also been talk of a Boost Mobile wildcard for Richie Stanaway, although Peter Adderton on Tuesday hit out at the expense attached to such a program.
“The costs Supercars are now charging for wildcards just to enter is out of control,” Adderton wrote on social media.
V8 Sleuth understands the entry fee Supercars charges wildcards is actually in the ballpark of $25,000 for a sprint event, with that money covering fuel, tyres and other race-related costs.
With Stanaway partnering Shane van Gisbergen for the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000, his most likely appearance in a Boost Camaro would come at the single-driver Gold Coast 500 in late October.
Adderton last year pre-purchased a Gen3 Camaro to be built by Triple Eight.
He has also indicated he will consider a 2023 enduro campaign without Stanaway.
Supercars has cracked down on wildcards this year, allowing each team to run a maximum of one additional entry at a selected sprint round (in addition to one or both enduros).
That has come as a means of protecting Teams Racing Charter holders, as well as discouraging drivers from leaving the Super2 Series in favour of a wildcard program.
