Penrite Racing Signs Kai Allen To Drive No. 26 Ford Mustang

Australian Supercars Championship team, Penrite Racing, has signed rising star Kai Allen to drive the No. 26 Ford Mustang GT starting in 2025.

According to a report from Supercars.com, Allen will replace Richie Stanaway behind the wheel of the No. 26 Mustang. Allen, 19 years old, is the 2023 Super2 champion and is currently in the hunt for this year’s title in the division as well. Allen has one Supercars Championship race under his belt, finishing 20^th in the 2023 Bathurst 1000 as a wild card entry driving for Dick Johnson Racing (DJR). Allen was expected to continue his relationship with DJR as a fulltime Supercars driver in 2025, but ultimately, he decided that Penrite was the place for him.

“It’s pretty surreal! I’ve been racing since I was eight years old, maybe even younger, so I’m super grateful to finally be in a position that I’ve worked towards my whole life,” Allen said. “It still hasn’t sunk in, but I’m sure come Round 1 next year that will all change. I can’t thank Stephen and Brenton enough for the opportunity. I feel like I’m joining a team that’s really on the way up and there’s some really great personnel on the team with so much experience.”

Allen will join Matt Payne in the Penrite stable in 2025, who currently drives the No. 19 Mustang. In fact, the team visited Victory Lane at Townsville in July, proving that it’s competitive in the division.

“Matt’s a really talented driver so I’ll be doing my best to keep the team up the front and absorb as much as possible from him,” Allen added. “Driving Car 26 is pretty surreal too! It’s a number that I’ve raced with since karting, so I guess it’s meant to be.”

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