Jobe Stewart is one of five rookies set to jump into the championship in 2026. Image: InSyde Media
Dick Johnson Racing’s decision to axe veteran Will Davison in favour of Super2 teen Rylan Gray is the latest in a series of moves towards youth.
The grid now appears set with Matt Stone Racing expected to confirm another rookie, Zach Bates, and the Blanchard Racing Team poised to re-commit to current rookie Aaron Cameron.
With those moves included, next year’s field is poised to be the youngest on record.
According to Supercars, the average age of the drivers on the opening day of the 2026 season will be just 27 years and 117 days.
That’s almost two years younger than the previous benchmark set all the way back in 2008.
The exits of Davison, 43, James Courtney, 45, and Nick Percat, 37, will leave David Reynolds, 40, as the only veteran left.
With Richie Stanaway (who turns 34 this month) also falling by the wayside, the second oldest will be Chaz Mostert at just 33.
So, what of the new wave?
Gray, 18, hopes to join DJR as the latest Super2 Series winner. He’s currently in his second season in the class with Tickford Racing and leads the standings ahead of Adelaide.
The New South Welshman has also had three main game wildcards this year with Tickford, as well as a full-season GT4 program where he finished second in the series standings.
How the 2026 Supercars grid has taken shape
Bates, 21, won the 2024 Super2 Series with Walkinshaw Andretti United but has had a tougher time in the second tier this year at Eggleston Motorsport.
Still, he showed plenty in a three-round Supercars Championship wildcard program with Triple Eight, including third in qualifying and fifth in the Shootout on the Sunday at Ipswich.
Jobe Stewart, 21, is also well-placed to make a flying start to his Supercars career at Erebus Motorsport next season.
Stewart won the Super3 title in 2023, is currently in his second Super2 season and starred in the recent Enduro Cup co-driving alongside his 2026 teammate Cooper Murray.
Jayden Ojeda, 26, has taken a longer road to the main game, spending recent years splitting his time between GT3 racing and Enduro Cup co-driving duties.
He has six endurance campaigns under his belt, including a stellar 2025 effort at Walkinshaw Andretti United, and joins PremiAir Racing effective immediately in place of Stanaway.
And then there’s Jackson Walls, 22, who will be catapulted into Triple Eight’s expanded three-car line-up after just a single season of Super2 with the Banyo squad.
The son-of-a-billionaire’s Triple Eight chance through SCT Motorsport has drawn some high-profile critics, but he’ll have every chance to prove them wrong once the season kicks off.
So what do you think? Who will be the top Supercars rookie in 2026? Cast your vote below on this week’s Pirtek Poll.
