IN just a matter of days, it will become clear who the new custodian of Dick Johnson Racing’s iconic #17 will be.
DJR is confirming race numbers and liveries at its public launch this Sunday, February 1, with intrigue around the #17 among the hottest topics.
It comes in the wake of veteran Will Davison’s departure, in favour of 2025 Super2 champion Rylan Gray.
So, either Gray will inherit the #17, or star driver Brodie Kostecki will shift across having last year donned #38.
With the Ford team thus far proving tight-lipped on the matter, V8 Sleuth takes the opportunity to run through the championship history of #17 dating back to DJR’s debut at Symmons Plains in 1981.
All up, there have been 11 primary pilots of the #17 DJR machine, meaning either Gray or Kostecki will become the 12th…
For the below list, note that on occasions where primary drivers paired up for enduros, the full-season occupant of the #17 is counted as the primary.
One outlier belongs to 2008, when Steven Johnson switched into Will Davison’s car for the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000, leaving enduro signings Steve Owen and Warren Luff to pair up in #17.
Another intricacy to factor in is the 2012 and 2013 Bathurst 1000s whereby Johnson and James Moffat, then Tim Blanchard and Chaz Mostert, swapped digits for one-off livery purposes.
Primary pilots of the Dick Johnson Racing #17 in the ATCC/Supercars Championship:
DriverChampionship races in #17SpanSteven Johnson3881999-2012Dick Johnson2901981-99Will Davison1512021-25Scott McLaughlin1142017-20Scott Pye632015-16Tim Blanchard352013David Wall352014Marcos Ambrose32015Steve Owen22008James Moffat12012Chaz Mostert12013