A top Australian Supercars driver may have missed out on his NASCAR debut as a new report claims that his Ford-backed Supercars team shut down a planned start with Richard Childress Racing this summer.
Since Shane van Gisbergen first broke onto the NASCAR scene with his one-off win at the Chicago Street Course in 2023, the former Supercars champion has proven to be one of, if not the greatest, road course talents in NASCAR history.
Over the past few seasons, many teams and drivers have tested the waters, hoping to match his road course excellence, though none have made a career in NASCAR stick.
One team that has done so with multiple Australian Supercars stars is Richard Childress Racing, which has entered Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown in races of their own since the summer of 2023.
While neither turned into a superstar like SVG, per a new report from Will Buxton of FOX Sports, RCR almost got their hands on one of Supercars’ hottest young drivers for a start this summer.
During the latest episode of Buxton’s podcast with NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick, Buxton claimed that RCR had courted 23-year-old Matt Payne, a nine-time winner in the Supercars championship, to drive for the team at Sonoma.
Unfortunately, Buxton claimed that his team, Grove Racing, which fields Fords in the Supercars Championship, shut down the deal.
“Aussie Supercars standout Matthew Payne was set to make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chevrolet wanted to place him with RCR in Sonoma. However, as we understand it, his Ford Grove Racing team down under have blocked the move and so he now won’t be racing at Sonoma.” — Will Buxton
While Buxton claims the deal is dead as of right now, Buxton reports that Payne is considered a driver who is “under serious consideration for a full-time switch at a very near point in the future.”
Much like any modern motorsports crossover, manufacturers still have a say in what drivers can race, which cars, and where.
For example, last season, Team Penske driver Austin Cindric made his series debut with a Ford team, just as Chevrolet drivers Kostecki, Brown, and van Gisbergen raced with Chevrolet teams in their NASCAR debuts.
This problem could be part of why Brown, who raced with Kaulig Racing in Chicago last season, has not attempted a race this season after his team, Triple Eight, switched back to Ford for the 2026 season.
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