DAVID Noble knows all about the highs and lows of finals from his background in Australian rules football.

Supercars is currently experiencing its first ever taste of playoffs, which comes complete with a quirk not seen in ball sports: that non-finalists continue competing.

And that is a good thing, according to Noble.

“When you exit finals (in footy), you’re booking a holiday, whereas we have the luxury of still coming to race… so the benefit is you need to pick yourself up pretty quick,” said the man who is finishing up as Dick Johnson Racing CEO at season’s end.

“Because if you do tend to come too deflated, you’ll get your backside whooped again when you get here.

“Preparation of the car still needs to be at a high level, pre-brief still needs to be at a high level, planning and strategy obviously – and you can still win the race.

“We can still come here and salvage something from the year, knowing that we didn’t get through to this last seven and then get to the last four. There’s still trophies to be won.”

Deflated is a word Noble used to describe the feeling of DJR being bundled out of finals on the Gold Coast, where Brodie Kostecki’s campaign was derailed by a mammoth qualifying crash.

Pic: Mark Walker

“Our guys have been flat since Gold Coast. You’re out of the finals and it does have an effect,” said Noble.

“It’s working, there’s no doubt that that impact is what the competition needs, it’s what Supercars is after.

“Certainly internally, you come to work on that week post-that you missed out quite deflated.

“It was interesting having a chat to (team manager) Mark Fenning who has been in the industry for a long period of time – he said, ‘is this normal, in regards to finals?’ And it is. It’s deflating.

Will Davison chalked up race number 600 yesterday. Pic: Mark Walker

“You get to a point that you aspire to compete in finals, that’s why they’re there.

“I think it increases competition, it increases standard and when you miss out, you’re annoyed and frustrated.”

Seven of the 11 Supercars teams are out of the finals hunt as it stands.

Walkinshaw Andretti United is through to Adelaide courtesy of Chaz Mostert, with two drivers from each of Triple Eight, Grove Racing and Tickford Racing now squabbling for the final three grand final berths.