DJR holds key to Supercars silly season

Will Davison is widely understood to be in the final year of his current agreement with the powerhouse Ford squad.

The in-form veteran has already signalled his intention to continue, while his recent results, including a breakthrough win in Perth, would suggest he is the favourite to be in the seat next season.

However there are murmurs in the paddock that current Erebus driver Will Brown is also being considered by the team for the ride.

DJR has snared Erebus talent before, Anton De Pasquale having cut his Supercars teeth at the Holden team before moving to DJR for the 2021 season.

As it stands DJR is remaining tight-lipped on its driver situation, declining to comment when approached by Motorsport.com.

Elsewhere the majority of the top seats are locked in for the 2023 season.

Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney both have contracts with Triple Eight, as are Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat at Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Tickford Racing signed its spearhead Cam Waters to a multi-year deal in 2021, suggesting he isn't on the market.

James Courtney is also on a multi-year deal with the Ford team as are Jake Kostecki and Thomas Randle, according to the announcements when they were signed for the current season.

However it's conceivable that the team might look to place Super2 driver Zak Best into its four-car line-up next year.

Grove Racing technically has both drivers off contract at the end of this year, with Kiwi prodigy Matt Payne widely expected to step into Lee Holdsworth's seat for the new season.

A resurgent David Reynolds is likely to continue as team leader, particularly thanks to his strong ties with sponsor Penrite.

Andre Heimgartner is on the first year of a multi-year deal with Brad Jones Racing, while PremiAir Racing could be a player in the market, given new owner Peter Xiberras' investment in the squad.

One significant question mark is Mark Winterbottom at Team 18, the veteran currently in the last year of his existing agreement with the Holden squad.

Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt told the Parked Up Plus podcast that discussions over a new deal with Winterbottom were yet to begin.

"We haven't started talking yet," he said. "He's an incredible guy and he's been great for my team, to bring potential sponsors on and some of the staff in the early days when we went to two cars. He's been a great asset.

"We haven't had that discussion yet. We've probably got to soon, see where we go and what we do.

"I like Frosty. He's certainly on my radar to keep."