History of the Supercheap Auto Wildcard
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 13 August 2025
Next year, the Supercheap Auto Wildcard will be moving from Triple Eight to Team 18, having already built a legacy.
In 2026, Craig Lowndes will bring the Supercheap Auto colours to Team 18, ensuring it stays at the Chevrolet homologation team, following Triple Eight’s defection to Ford.
Since arriving 2021, it has been a staple of the enduros and more teams have followed suit with wildcards of their own.
2021 – Broc Feeney/Russell Ingall
Broc Feeney taking on the Mountain in the Wildcard’s first appearance in 2021. Photo by Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images
Whilst Lowndes is currently the face of the Wildcard, he was not even involved when it was first rolled out in 2021.
Lowndes was busy partnering Jamie Whincup, chasing another Great Race win in the latter’s final full-time drive of a legendary career.
Instead, the veteran was a former rival in the form of Russell Ingall, who came out of retirement after five years away to race in his usual #39.
Alongside him was a rising star by the name of Broc Feeney, who was on the verge of announcing himself as a star of the future.
On the same weekend, Feeney was busy winning the 2021 Super2 title with the Wildcard part of his preparation for a full-time drive the following year, replacing Jamie Whincup.
The then 19-year-old also impressed in the #39 Supercheap Auto, topping the morning warm-up, but more impressively qualifying a strong 15th.
Feeney rose to as high as ninth, but unfortunately, slammed the Sulman Park wall on Lap 143.
2022 – Declan Fraser/Craig Lowndes
Declan Fraser impressed with a steady performance in the Supercheap Auto wildcard at the 2022 Bathurst 1000. Image: Mark Horsburgh/EDGE Photographics
In its second year, the Supercheap Auto Wildcard headed to what we know now with Lowndes driving the #888.
The driver who paid with Lowndes in the latter’s first Wildcard was Declan Fraser, who was also on his way to a Super2 title.
Fraser was determined to use the platform as a shop window to showcase why he should be on the full-time grid the following year and did just that.
Lowndes qualified the car 16th, but the hard work came on Sunday.
Fraser even got the chance to lead his first Supercars race as the #888 stayed out of trouble in wet conditions and rose to an impressive eighth – the then record for a Wildcard at Bathurst.
2023 – Zane Goddard/Craig Lowndes
Zane Goddard leading Mark Winterbottom at Sandown 2023. Image: Peter Norton
Despite letting go of its Super2 program, Triple Eight carried on its Wildcard with Lowndes.
After facing significant backlash for an infamous crash at The Chase the previous year, Triple Eight have Zane Goddard a shot at redemption.
Not only did the drive contain a return to the Mountain, but the Wildcard expanded beyond the Great Race.
Instead of just one race, Goddard got five races with the Wildcard also heading to the Darwin Triple Crown and Sandown 500.
After finding his feet in Darwin with a 22nd, 21st and 24th, Goddard rose up a level alongside Lowndes at the return of the Sandown 500.
The pair flew from 23rd to 10th in a stunning charge across the shortened 158-lap affair.
At Bathurst, Goddard qualified 20th, but gear-shifting issues hampered the race and was 20 laps down.
2024 – Cooper Murray/Craig Lowndes
Cooper Murray drove the Wildcard at Bathurst last year. Image: peter Norton
Having bounced back impressively from a year off, Cooper Murray was one of the leading Super2 drivers and became the latest youngster to use the Wildcard as a springboard to the main game.
Murray impressed straight away at Hidden Valley, putting the #888 into the Shootout in a similar qualifying effort to Zach Bates at Ipswich.
Unfortunately, the youngster was not able to convert the results in Darwin after he was involved in a multi-car, first-lap crash at Turn 5.
But Sandown was where Murray shone as he and Lowndes shot to a record-breaking top-five result at the Sandown 500 from 18th on the grid.
At Bathurst, Murray qualified 19th and he and Lowndes rose to 14th and kept things clean.
Having shown plenty of promise, Murray was quickly snapped up by Erebus and is now on the full-time grid.
This year Bates has enjoyed a crack and already made the most of it in his solo shot at Ipswich and will return at the enduros.
But in addition to the youngster, lots of attention will be on Lowndes as he drivers the iconic #888 at Triple Eight for the final time.
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