Tickford chasing NASCAR star
By Auto Action
Date posted: 8 August 2025
Tickford has confirmed it is chasing a NASCAR star to take on the bp Adelaide Grand Final Supercars finale with Austin Cindric leading the race.
While Supercars had hoped to secure both a Chevrolet and a Ford wildcard for the end-of-season event, the Chevrolet side of the equation has hit a wall. NAPA was keen to get Elliott to Australia, and PremiAir had been floated as the most likely destination for the #9 driver.
But Team 18, which was expected to supply the car, has since committed its spare chassis to complete aero testing duties with Ford and Toyota, ruling Elliott out of contention.
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Ford, meanwhile, has been moving forward quietly. Tickford, Supercars and the South Australian Motorsport Board have all played a part in advancing talks with Team Penske and Cindric, who tested a Supercar back in 2019 and have remained open to a return.
With Kyle Larson’s proposed cameo falling through earlier this year, the focus has been squarely on getting one of NASCAR’s next-gen talents to Australia.
Cindric now appears to be the most likely NASCAR driver to take the grid in Adelaide, and multiple sources close to the discussions have informed Auto Action that the deal is nearing completion.
It would mark the first official NASCAR wildcard since Jimmie Johnson’s bid was considered in 2010, but never eventuated.
Tickford has publicly confirmed its interest with CEO Simon Brookhouse speaking on the subject at the Ipswich Super440.
“We would certainly love to run a program,” he said.
“We tried to do it last year, but the timing just didn’t work.
“Obviously the NASCAR season finished very close to Adelaide, but this year there is a bit of a gap.
“There’s a little bit of water to go under the bridge and nothing has been confirmed.
“But we are certainly working towards the possibility of that happening.”
Supercars is pushing hard to finalise at least one NASCAR wildcard, and all signs now point to Cindric being the man to carry Ford’s hopes on the streets of Adelaide.
Brookhouse said the driver call will be made in America as he credited the growing relationship between Supercars and NASCAR.
“We are working with Ford Performance and they are certainly working through the drivers they think would work best,” he said.
“Ultimately, we are leaving it in their hands and we are not particular about the driver.
“We are really partnering with Ford Performance if it goes ahead.
“I think for the relationship between NASCAR and Supercars there is a great opportunity to start it.
“We see how Will (Brown) is going back over for Triple Eight’s perspective to drive in NASCAR, Cam (Waters) has gone over and Shane (van Gisbergen) is doing so well, so if we can build those relationships and have a pathway for our drivers to go there, and have them come back here to showcase their skills, the future of the sport is really rosy.
“My own personal thoughts are if next year you could have a Toyota, a Chevrolet and a Ford going around with NASCAR drivers, that would be great.
“We have talked to Ford about it, but they have been very supportive of the idea.
“If it gets off the ground it can be something we can continue in the future.”
Super2 team boss Terry Wyhoon, who has been leading the US connection push since the Kyle Busch deal fell apart in 2024, remains central to the effort.
“Adelaide’s the one that fits the timeframe for those guys,” he said.
“I’d love to see these blokes here. They want to have a crack at something different now. It’s healthy for our category.”
Image: Getty
2025 Ipswich Super440 (All Times AEST)
Friday 8 August
Practice 1 – 1: Broc Feeney 1:09.2078 2: Anton De Pasquale +0.1965 3: Cameron Hill +0.2271
Practice 2 – 1: Will Brown 1:08.4927 2: Broc Feeney +0.1419 3: Ryan Wood +0.2088
Saturday 9 August
9:30am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 23 (10 mins)
9:50am, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 23 (10 mins)
10:20am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 24 (10 mins)
10:40am, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 24 (10 mins)
12:45pm, Race 23 – 39 laps (120 km)
4:10pm, Race 24 – 39 laps (120 km)
Sunday 10 August
10:20am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 25 (10 mins)
10:40am, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 25 (10 mins)
11:40am, Qualifying Part 3 – Race 25 Top Ten Shootout (30 mins)
3:15pm, Race 25 – 63 laps (200 km)
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