Tickford Racing could field NASCAR star in Adelaide Supercars race  

Tickford Racing is pursuing a wildcard entry at the final round of the 2025 Supercars Championship in Adelaide in November, which could see it run a yet-to-be-named NASCAR Cup driver. 

Team CEO Simon Brookhouse said at Queensland Raceway on Friday (8 August) that the team, which runs two Ford Mustangs in the series with Cameron Waters and Thomas Randle, would like to run a third entry in the race. Suggestions are that 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric may be in line for the drive, should it come to fruition. 

“We’d certainly love to run a programme,” Brookhouse said. “We tried to do it last year, but the timing just didn’t work. Obviously, the NASCAR season finished very close to Adelaide – this year there’s a bit of a gap. 

“There’s a little bit of water going in the bridge and nothing’s been confirmed, but we’re certainly working towards the possibility of that happening.” 

Tickford already has a car race-ready and is running it as a wildcard entry at this year’s enduros, with Super2 regulars Rylan Gray and Lochie Dalton driving. 

“We are working with Ford Performance and they’re certainly working through the drivers they think would work best,” Brookhouse continued. 

“Ultimately, we are leaving it in their hands. We’re 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’s a great opportunity there to start it. 

“It’s just my own personal thoughts, that if next year you could have a Toyota, a Chev and a Ford going around with NASCAR drivers, it’d be great. 

“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, I think in the future, the sport’s really rising.” 

Earlier efforts to bring a NASCAR driver into a wildcard seat have so far come to nought. NASCAR Cup champions Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch have been linked to wildcards in recent years and, while Larson is expected to be in Adelaide this year to race a sprintcar, efforts to place him in a third entry for the PremiAir Racing Chevrolet team have come up short. 

Cindric, 26, has raced down under before, competing in the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour, in which he finished seventh in the AA Class in an Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.