Adelaide secures Supercars grand final in major new deal until 2034
More than 285,000 fans attended the bp Adelaide Grand Final, the government locked in a deal to keep the race and tears flowed freely in an emotional, drama-packed last race of the season.
There was drama. There was controversy. There was jubilation. There was heartache. There were tears of despair. There were tears of joy.
And in the end, when the smoke settled from the obligatory celebratory burnouts, popular Queenslander Chaz Mostert was celebrating his first Supercars title at Adelaide’s inaugural grand final.
Mostert’s win came in front of a record crowd of 102,000 fans and after Premier Peter Malinauskas announced Adelaide would host the Supercars grand final until at least 2034.
But it was a victory that will go down as one of the more contentious in Supercars history after his Walkinshaw Andretti United teammate Ryan Wood made contact with pre-race championship favourite Broc Feeney just seconds into the race.
It was a collision that Feeney’s Red Bull team immediately labelled as “grubby”, sparked a war of words between the rival teams and divided fans.
Mostert had started the final race of the season 23 points behind Feeney despite winning just four races for the season compared with Feeney’s 14. But he claimed the title under the Supercars new system in which the top four drivers had their points reset to 5000, with bonus points based on their championship positions, before the Grand Final.
Self-confessed bogan Mostert wiped tears of joy from his eyes as he crossed the finish line and celebrated his championship win with a champagne shoey on the podium.
A devastated Feeney, 23, was also in tears and was consoled by his Red Bull teammates as Mostert, 33, enjoyed the spoils of victory.
“I’ve driven for so many years you start to doubt it,” he said. “I’ve driven for some amazing teams … and I’ve always believed I could to it, but thank God for finals series, hey.”
Feeney, who had secured a record-breaking 19th pole position earlier in the day, fought his emotions again when asked to reflect on the events of the race.
“It’s been a phenomenal year, something that I’ll be very proud of for the rest of my life,” he said. “But yeah, that’s the way it goes. That’s the new system that they’ve got. You can have a shocker in the last race of the year and it all falls apart.”
Wood, who copped a 15-second penalty for the first-lap incident, said he was “gutted” to have been involved and apologised to Feeney.
“I know he’s worked so hard this whole year and whole career and yeah, hate to see that happen and be in the middle of something,” he said.
Red Bull fan Ava Fillmore, 16, of Flagstaff Hill, was at the race with her boyfriend, WAU fan Lewis Day, 17.
“It’s a bit of bad luck but I’m disappointed and peeved off,” she said. “It’s a big controversy because there are a lot of Red Bull fans. They (Red Bull) tried their best.” Her boyfriend was, understandably, more upbeat.
“I’m pretty happy and it’s good to rub it in people’s faces,” he said. “It was so good and it’s a great racing incident. The game’s the game.”
Red Bull fan Tammie Ehms, 32, travelled from Mildura for the race and said Feeney deserved to win, but she backed Sunday’s announcement that Adelaide had secured the Supercars Grand Final until 2034.
“We love coming down here and it’s about supporting the event,” she said. “It’s good for the state and good for the community.”
Port Adelaide AFL player and Red Bull fan Lachie Jones, 23, was among several footy stars and celebrities to enjoy the inaugural Grand Final weekend.
“I love the sound and the smell,” he said. “I’m big into cars. I’ve come every year since it’s been back.”
New Zealand born Hollywood actor Michael Dorman, who starred in the Netflix neo-Western series Territory and movie The Invisible Man, took time out from filming a new television series in Adelaide to watch the Supercars hurl themselves around the track at more than 250km an hour.
“I love the cars and for me it’s about watching these guys do something they’re very good at,” Dorman, 44, said. “I’m so stoked to be here … it’s really exciting.”
Peter and Kristina Pedulla, 54 and 51, have made the trek from their home town of Whyalla to join family and friends from all parts of Australia at the Supercars for the past decade. “For us blokes it’s about the car racing and it’s the music,” Mr Pedulla said.
“It’s a perfect weekend,” his wife added. “It’s the bee’s knees and we can be kids again.”
ADELAIDE ON SUPERCAR POLE UNTIL 2034
Adelaide will host the Supercars grand final until at least 2034 after a record crowd of more than 100,000 flocked to the city track on Sunday.
Premier Peter Malinauskas made a trackside announcement on Sunday that he had signed a long-term deal with Supercars to lock in the bp Adelaide Grand Final until the middle of next decade.
“When we made the decision to bring back this event, we knew it had capacity to grow and generate even more economic opportunity for our state – and it has delivered,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“Now as the bp Adelaide Grand Final, it is delivering a truly thrilling end to the Supercars season.
“We are thrilled to lock this event in until 2034, which will provide us a strong platform
to continue to build an even more exceptional event for all South Australians.”
Mr Malinauskas said the extension came as he revealed a record 102,000 people had flocked to the final day of the 2025 event, a number he described as “better than we’d hoped for”.
The figure eclipses the previous one-day record of 95,000 in 2013 and took the total crowd tally to 286,000 over four days
“There are more spectators here for the bp Supercars Grand Final than there were at the MCG for the AFL Grand Final or what we saw at the NRL Grand Final,” he said.
“This is a big number and it speaks to the format, the value but also the excitement that the grand final concept has generated.”
A total of 286,000 people attended the event which was held over four days.
Government investment in the event “has paid off for South Australia”, he said, and expected the event would generate even higher value for the state’s economy this year.
Mr Malinauskas confirmed next year’s event would be brought forward a week to earlier in November, to work better with the rest of the Supercars season.
Supercars chief executive James Warburton said the sport could not hope for a better season end and the new deal “ensured fans and teams can look forward to an incredible finale for years to come.
“Nothing matches the atmosphere, the history, and the sheer excitement of racing through
the streets of Adelaide,” he said.
“Securing this event until 2034 ensures fans and teams can look forward to an incredible finale for years to come. It’s a testament to the strength of our sport and the unwavering support of the South Australian government.”
Adelaide Grand Final chief executive Mark Warren said the season finale delivered unforgettable racing and entertainment for fans.
“The passion of South Australians and the backing of the government make this
event truly world-class,” he said. “We’re not just preserving history – we’re creating an even bigger future.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Adelaide secures Supercars grand final in major new deal until 2034
Decision made on von Einem’s remains
