Jaxon Evans (far right) soaks up the moment with (from left) Ryan Wood, Carl Faux, Chaz Mostert and Fabian Coulthard on the podium. Image: Supplied
Accomplished GT racer Evans landed the gig in the #2 Toyota Supra after two rough full-time Supercars seasons aboard the Brad Jones Racing-run SCT Motorsport entry.
The 29-year-old Kiwi finished 23rd in the championship in both of those years and was dumped from the ride amid its transformation into Objective Racing for 2026.
That left Evans to rebuild his career – and confidence – via a program combining GT outings with the Supercars enduros.
Evans impressed in the wet early stints of Sunday’s AirTouch 500, so much so that Wood and the team left him on track when Fabian Coulthard was called in to hand over to Chaz Mostert.
“We were sort of following car #1 on their strategy, and then we pivoted when they came in to put their main in,” recounted Wood post-race.
“I said to [engineer] Rich [Harris], I think Jaxon can keep going and mix it with the mains, and he did. I trust this guy a lot and he lived up to what I thought he could do.
“I’m super proud of him.”
Sitting alongside Wood in the post-race press conference, Evans admitted he was initially not so sure of the plan, which allowed the team to avoid a dreaded double-stack under Safety Car conditions.
“It was probably lap 54 or 55 when Rich said, ‘you’re not getting out, you’re going to stay out there’,” Evans recalled.
“I thought to myself, ‘I’m a bit nervous. I don’t really know if I’m up for this’.
“But it sort of relayed back to me that they’ve got full confidence back in the garage that I could do the job that they were asking of me…”
The unassuming Evans was eager to heap praise on compatriot Wood and the team for his own performance.
The #2 Toyota Supra on track. Image: InSyde Media
“Working with Rich and Woody and the whole crew has been a big confidence boost,” he said.
“It wasn’t that the guys that I drove with at BJR doubted what I was able to do in a car.
“But when you’re running around and not sort of seeing any results in a very competitive field, it becomes quite frustrating.
“I’m not saying that I showed up here with a good car and did a good job, and that’s why we’re on the podium – but for the confidence, it was certainly a big boost.”
Sunday made Evans the latest Supercars outcast to achieve redemption via a top flight endurance co-drive.
Although a confidence boost, Evans is not making any big statements about ambitions to return to a full-time seat.
“At the moment, I’m really happy,” he said.
“This year I took a bit of a step back in terms of when I was planning my season and what I could be racing, in other avenues.
“Coming from GT cars, it’s something that I love to do, and I enjoy driving a Supercar, and I enjoy being part of this team. So, at the moment I’m just focusing on that.
“If something comes in the following months it’s something that I’d consider it.
“But at the moment, I’m really happy with the balance between GT and Supercars and enduros.”