Defending Australian Supercars champion, Brodie Kostecki, announced recently that he will join Supercars Ford team Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) for the 2025 season and beyond. Todd Hazelwood, who shared Kostecki’s Chevy Camaro during a race-winning bid at the 2024 Bathurst 1000, is expected to turn his back on The Bow Tie and follow Kostecki to The Blue Oval’s fold.
A report from Speedcafe outlines Hazelwood’s options beyond the 2024 racing season. Hazelwood was snapped up by Chevy team Erebus Racing as a codriver for 2024, although he took on a primary driver position during Kostecki’s brief absence earlier this year. When Kostecki came back, Hazelwood once again stepped back into the role of codriver, supporting the reigning champ’s efforts in the longer races toward the end of the season.
However, since winning at Bathurst a few weeks ago, Hazelwood has indicated that his deal with Erebus will expire at the end of the 2024 season, leaving him without a home in 2025. That’s where DJR comes in. The Supercars Ford team is losing up-and-coming talent Kai Allen to Grove Racing next year, meaning there’s an an empty codriver seat available. Given that Hazelwood already has a successful relationship with Kostecki, jumping to DJR would make perfect sense for the 29-year-old driver.
“The good thing about Todd is that, no matter the word anyone puts in for him, he’s just won the biggest motor race in Australia,” Kostecki explained during a recent interview. “So I’m sure he’s got plenty of offers. That’s not up to me, I’ll let the team handle that. I’m sure there’s plenty of sharks surrounding him trying to poach him for next year. So we’ll just have to see what happens and go from there.”
DJR could also be a landing spot for Tim Slade, a veteran of the Supercars series. His partnership with PremiAir Racing is coming to a close, potentially making him a viable free agent to be snapped up by a Supercars Ford team next year.
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