IN seven days’ time, Will Davison will become the fifth member of the Supercars Championship’s 600-race club.
There, he’ll count Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander, Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney for company.
V8 Sleuth looks back at the 22-time race winner’s prolific career with a step-by-step journey through the years below…
2004 (Team Dynamik)
Pic: an1images.com / Graeme Neander
At age 21, Davison got handed a couple of solo starts in the Holden team’s third entry before pairing up with Dale Brede in the sister #45 for the enduros.
2005 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Graeme Neander
The year that Davison’s DJR relationship began, contesting a one-off Super2 round and partnering Steven Johnson for the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
2006 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
Called up to replace Glenn Seton, Davison’s first full-time gig produced a smattering of top 10 results and a season-best fourth alongside Johnson in the Sandown 500.
Championship ranking: 19th
2007 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
Davison came to the fore in year two, outpointing Johnson in a campaign that netted third-place trophies at Bathurst and Bahrain.
Championship ranking: 10th
2008 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
The breakout year: Davison ended DJR’s long victory drought with a win at Eastern Creek, and followed that up with another at Winton.
Championship ranking: 5th
2009 (Holden Racing Team)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
Signed to replace Mark Skaife at HRT, Davison was an instant hit in red, winning a stack of races including the Bathurst 1000 (with Garth Tander) to mount a genuine title challenge.
Championship ranking: 2nd
2010 (Holden Racing Team)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
An engine failure in the season-opening race set the tone for a disastrous year headlined by nine DNFs.
Championship ranking: 22nd
2011 (Ford Performance Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
Four poles and six podiums but no wins was the story of Davison’s start to life at FPR.
Championship ranking: 7th
2012 (Ford Performance Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
There was no shortage of winning in 2012 as Davison spent time atop the standings, Car #6 taking victory at Adelaide, Symmons Plains, Hamilton, Wanneroo, Phillip Island, Gold Coast and Homebush.
Championship ranking: 4th
2013 (Ford Performance Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
Consistency saw Davison outdo Mark Winterbottom in the points, with wins coming at Pukekohe and Townsville.
Championship ranking: 3rd
2014 (Erebus Motorsport)
Pic: an1images.com / Ross Gibb
Highlights for his first season in Mercedes machinery included a third in Townsville, fourth in the Great Race alongside brother Alex, and pole at Homebush.
Championship ranking: 14th
2015 (Erebus Motorsport)
Pic: an1images.com / Scott Wensley
The one obvious standout moment was Davison delivering the last-ever win for an Erebus Merc in Perth.
Championship ranking: 15th
2016 (Tekno Autosports)
Pic: an1images.com / Scott Wensley
An opportunistic victory in Tasmania propelled Davison into the championship lead; while he ultimately wouldn’t contend for the title, he did go on to add a second Peter Brock Trophy.
Championship ranking: 5th
2017 (Tekno Autosports)
Pic: an1images.com / Ross Gibb
Year-on-year momentum didn’t transpire, with fifths at Perth and Winton the highwater mark. The major takeaway though was a shocking pile-up in Tassie.
Championship ranking: 15th
2018 (23Red Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Ross Gibb
A solid if unspectacular season as the face of a new single-car outfit.
Championship ranking: 15th
2019 (23Red Racing)
Pic: an1images.com / Scott Wensley
A fine season with runner-up finishes at Ipswich and The Bend the highlights.
Championship ranking: 8th
2020 (23Red Racing/Tickford)
Pic: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh
Davison burst out of the blocks strongly, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to put the brakes on the season. When Supercars eventually returned, it did so without the 23Red driver and team… leaving the Gold Coast resident to take refuge as Cam Waters’ Bathurst offsider.
2021 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Will Davison is embraced by Riana Crehan after scoring pole position in Darwin. Pic: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh
A rainbow awaited at the end of the 2020 pain, with Davison and DJR reuniting. The season was dominated by Shane van Gisbergen, but Davison was a consistent podium finisher and chalked up a pair of poles too.
Championship ranking: 4th
2022 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh
A drought-breaking win in Perth opened the floodgates, Davison piloting the #17 Ford to further triumphs at Sandown and Pukekohe.
Championship ranking: 5th
2023 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: Ross Gibb
A tricky year as the Mustang suffered and DJR regressed within the Blue Oval pecking order. Davison did though get the team its first Gen3 podium.
Championship ranking: 10th
2024 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh
A podium at Taupō and pole in Sydney were the clear standout moments.
Championship ranking: 9th
2025 (Dick Johnson Racing)
Pic: Mark Walker
After an off-season of major turnover at the team, Davison contended for a podium at Albert Park and nabbed another Taupō trophy but has since experienced a difficult run, leading to his contract being cut short by a year.
Davison will race on next year, almost certainly as a co-driver; it’s just a matter of where he lands.