Former Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom is tipping Broc Feeney’s rivalry with Ryan Wood to ‘explode’ in 2026 amid accusations flying back and forth between team owners. Heading into the season, Feeney said he wasn’t on speaking terms with Wood after an incident that ruined the Triple Eight driver’s chances of winning the 2025 championship.
Feeney led all year but lost the championship in the grand final when Wood spun him around in the final race, which helped Wood’s teammate Chaz Mostert win the crown. The rivalry between Walkinshaw (Wood and Mostert’s team) and Triple Eight (Feeney and Will Brown) has been bubbling away ever since.
Ryan Wood (third from left) and Broc Feeney (R) aren’t on speaking terms. Image: Supercars/AAP
And last week Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup accused Walkinshow of using ‘illegal’ welding on its new Toyota chassis, which Walkinshaw and Supercars officials have refuted. Supercars have stated the cars in question are no longer in use and the issue was resolved years ago.
On-track, the Feeney and Wood situation hasn’t yet come to a head in 2026. But Winterbottom believes that’s about to change.
“Broc and Woody have got their rivalry going on, but now Whincup has come out and he’s been quite vocal, I actually like seeing this side of Jamie,” Winterbottom said on the ‘Run Home’ podcast this week.
“I guess I saw the villain in him when I was racing, but he’s very calculated and very clever in what he’s saying. And Ryan Walkinshaw has got so much passion for his team and what he does, so together that’s bubbling in the background, which is really cool.”
Broc Feeney was turned around by Ryan Wood on the opening lap. Image: Supercars
He added: “Woody and Feeney, I’m sure that’s going to come to a head at some stage this year. What I do love is that Whincup has got Feeney’s back and Brown’s back, supports them massively. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he represents his team well.
“And then Walkinshaw, he has 100 per cent got Woody’s back, and also Chaz. And he’s a fighter and ready for a scrap, so get your popcorn, I’m looking forward to it.
“They’re two top teams with four of the best drivers in the category, and at the moment Triple Eight is winning the battle this year, but wait until Finals when there’s four guys again. It’s going to explode, I love it. I think it’s great for the sport.”
Ryan Wood’s veiled swipe at Triple Eight after podium
Wood took a thinly-veiled swipe at Whincup and Triple Eight when he earned a first-ever podium for Toyota in Melbourne. “With all of the stuff that’s being going on in the background, it’s really cool to shut up a few people,” he said.
Whincup had sensationally declared: “If you’re a Broc Feeney fan and you get beaten by a Walkinshaw car this weekend, you’ve got every right to be pissed off because they’re not running the same chassis as what we are. It needs to be addressed. It can’t continue like that.
“They can’t be running these, what I regard as an illegal car. They’re legal because Supercars say they are, but I don’t accept that. We need to get that changed as soon as we can.”
But Supercars boss Tim Edwards told Speedcafe: “The chassis that are being highlighted were the two cars from 2023 that Walkinshaw raced. Both of those cars are no longer race cars.”
Ryan Wood came third in the second Supercars race in Melbourne.
(Getty Images)