Reigning Bathurst 1000 champion Matt Payne’s hopes of making a surprise NASCAR debut have been dashed after his Supercars team Grove Racing blocked the 23-year-old star from taking up a one-off drive at Sonoma Raceway on June 28.
It is understood General Motors, which runs its Chevrolet brand in the primarily oval-based series, had sought to place the Kiwi into a Richard Childress Racing entry for the road course race.
Matt Payne has been blocked from an international opportunity by his Supercars team. LAT Images
RCR have a history of fielding GM-aligned Supercars standouts for road course races, having previously handed cameos to Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown while both were racing Chevs in Supercars.
Grove Racing, which fields Ford Mustangs in the championship, firmly rejected the cross-manufacturer proposal, even though there is no overlapping races.
The block is the latest saga in an escalating tug-of-war between Grove and GM over the coveted 2025 Bathurst 1000 winner.
Grove Racing boss Stephen Grove cited the squad’s strict allegiance to Ford as the primary reason for vetoing the deal. Ford is one of the three brands represented in NASCAR.
“Grove Racing confirms that it did not approve Matt Payne’s request to participate in a NASCAR race for General Motors,” the team said in a statement.
“Matt is contracted to Grove Racing until the end of the 2027 season, and during that period, he is not permitted to participate in any driving opportunity that conflicts with his contractual obligations to Grove Racing.
“Grove Racing takes its commercial and technical relationship with Ford Racing seriously and at no time would look to jeopardise that for a one-off NASCAR drive with a competing manufacturer.
“Grove Racing’s priority is to ensure Matt is managed responsibly, protects his recovery, and remains fully focused on his commitments with the team.”
This comment is in line with Payne recently racing through the pain of a fractured wrist to score a double podium in Tasmania.
“Matt is a central part of Grove Racing’s program, and we do not consider it appropriate or commercially responsible to expose him to additional physical risk in an unfamiliar racing environment, particularly one that carries no direct benefit to Grove Racing’s championship objectives,” Grove further explained.
Payne on his way to victory in last year’s Bathurst 1000. Getty Images
“Grove Racing has invested heavily in Matt’s development over a number of years and remains fully committed to him. Equally, we expect that commitment to be respected by all parties.”
But fresh details of GM’s bid to get Payne ready for the now-canned cameo could land the 23-year-old Kiwi in trouble with his team.
According to News Corp, Payne had already undertaken significant preparation work for the cameo, including a trip to the USA following Supercars’ double-header in New Zealand to undertake simulator testing.
Supercars legend Mark Skaife said the trip would suggest plans for the cameo were well-advanced, and that his participation in the test would almost certainly represent a breach of his contract with the Groves.
Will Brown previously drove for RCR at Sonoma during his Supercars title-winning 2024 season. Meg Oliphant
“The team’s contract, I would have thought, would be so strict … you couldn’t do that stuff,” he said on Fox Sports’ MotorRacing 360.
“(You would have) to make sure that anything that you did was approved by the team, so for him to go and get in a simulator on the other side of the world … it’s had a lot of background work done.
“I find that really interesting that you could go and do that with a rival manufacturer, and not be in breach of your agreement.”
In a pointed comment, Grove openly questioned why GM was hunting for talent outside its own backyard, given the deep pool of drivers currently steering Camaros in Supercars.
“We are also surprised that General Motors would look beyond its own substantial stable of talented Supercars drivers in Australia and instead approach a contracted driver from a competing manufacturer,” he said.
“GM has access to a deep pool of capable Australian drivers with direct manufacturer alignment, and the ability to represent its program without interfering with another team’s contractual position.
Matt Payne was blocked by Grove Racing. Mark Horsburgh
“Given Matt has not previously raced in NASCAR or at the relevant circuit, it is difficult to understand why General Motors would seek to involve a contracted Grove Racing driver rather than one of its own aligned drivers.”
Since Payne joined Grove via its junior program in 2021, he’s progressed through the ranks to the premier motorsport category in Australia.
The rising star is a hot commodity on the Supercars grid after his breakout season in 2025 saw him win the Jason Richards Trophy, Bathurst 1000 and Adelaide Grand Final.
Payne’s manager, former Supercars driver Michael Patrizi, expressed deep disappointment over the blocked cameo, calling it a missed “opportunity” for Australian motorsport.
“It would have been an incredible opportunity not only for Matthew, but for Australian motorsport,” Patrizi said to CODE Sports.
“Seeing one of our brightest talents compete against NASCAR’s best can only help grow motorsport and inspire the next generations.
“When a manufacturer like GM wants to place a driver at a top team like RCR in their top tier this says a lot about how Matthew is regarded and speaks volumes about how they view Supercars.
“What Shane [van Gisbergen] has achieved in NASCAR has been tremendous.
“He’s opened the door and introduced a whole new audience to the talent coming out of this region.
“It would have been a fantastic opportunity for writing another positive story for the sport as a whole.”
Behind the scenes, the NASCAR roadblock adds fuel to intense speculation regarding Payne’s long-term future.
Patrizi is rumoured to be a key architect in a plan to transition Payne from the Blue Oval to the General Motors camp.
Reports suggest GM is eager to lure the young star to Team 18, dangling a big-money salary alongside guaranteed international opportunities.
But Grove Racing is holding its ground, insisting that Payne will remain exactly where he is until his contract expires at the end of 2027.
Supercars will race next in Darwin on June 19-21.
– with Damien McCartney