{"id":442278,"date":"2026-01-28T05:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T05:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/442278\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T05:51:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T05:51:09","slug":"neil-crompton-commentary-axing-statement-mark-skaife-garth-tander-commentary-line-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/442278\/","title":{"rendered":"Neil Crompton commentary axing, statement, Mark Skaife, Garth Tander, commentary line-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supercars<\/a> fans are furious after legendary commentator Neil Crompton confirmed he would not be on the mics \u2013 at least full-time \u2013 in 2026.<\/p>\n

Speculation has been rife for months last year’s season-ender in Adelaide<\/a> would be Crompton’s last as a full-time commentator, as Supercars management looked to inject fresh talent into the role.<\/p>\n

While neither party had publicly commented, Crompton on Tuesday evening issued a statement confirming he would not be in the booth when the season starts at Eastern Creek in western Sydney next month.<\/p>\n

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“Late last year Supercars advised me I will not be calling in the broadcast any longer,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Although I am naturally disappointed, I totally respect the right of the senior management to make that decision.<\/p>\n

\"Veteran<\/p>\n

Veteran Supercars commentator Neil Crompton.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n

“I am not retiring. I love working, I love the sport of Supercars and intend to continue in some capacity in the sport for a long time to come.”<\/p>\n

When the rumours began last year, a fan opened a change.org petition to keep Crompton in the role. The same fan also made one when much-loved technical guru Mark Larkham was axed for the 2021 season, which led Supercars to backflip on the decision.<\/p>\n

Crompton has been more or less a constant voice in the commentary box since his retirement from driving at the end of 2002.<\/p>\n

Even before then, Crompton had been a regular face on motorsport coverage on both Seven and Ten for decades when he wasn’t in a car.<\/p>\n

Crompton said he had been offered a limited role for two events in the season \u2013 possibly The Bend 500 and Bathurst 1000 endurance races \u2013 but was undecided.<\/p>\n

“Part time work for two of 14 events, in a limited capacity, is a lot to digest. So right now, I am undecided,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Big picture, nothing has changed. I’ve spent a lifetime loving Supercars, the competition, the people, the cars and I’m especially grateful for the endless passion shown by you, our fans, otherwise we’ve got nothing.”<\/p>\n

\"Neil<\/p>\n

Crompton in his driving days, pictured here at the 2001 Queensland 500 where he drove with Craig Lowndes.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n

Supercars has undergone a behind-the-scenes shake-up in the off season. The category has switched production partners from Gravity Media to NEP, which has required a major upheaval.<\/p>\n

It’s also believed returning chief executive James Warburton was keen for younger voices in the booth.<\/p>\n

Crompton played a pivotal role in bringing Toyota and the Supra model into the sport. The Sydney season-opener marks its debut.<\/p>\n

“I’m positive about the future of the sport. The new three-way battle between GM, Ford and now Toyota will be fantastic for everyone,” he said.<\/p>\n

Having battled prostate cancer in 2021, Crompton also assured fans his health was not the cause.<\/p>\n

“Please know I am still vertical, healthy, fit and well (thanks for caring) and busy looking for new professional opportunities and remaining productive.<\/p>\n

“Thanks again – your support means a lot.”<\/p>\n

The future of his co-commentator Mark Skaife remains unclear, although he too is not expected to return.<\/p>\n

Garth Tander, who won last year’s Bathurst 1000 with Kai Allen before retiring from driving altogether, is expected to play a significant role in the revamped commentary team, as will fellow former champions James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom.<\/p>\n

Supercars has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supercars fans are furious after legendary commentator Neil Crompton confirmed he would not be on the mics \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,85],"class_list":["post-442278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}