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Find your Sport Nation frequency‘Controlled the championship from the outset’: Why Matt Payne is favourite for Supercars finale
Sport Nation • November 11th, 2026 3:30 pm
Matt Payne | Photo: Photosport
Matt Payne’s calm, mistake-free season and 30-point championship lead has put him in a strong position to become the first Kiwi since Shane van Gisbergen in 2022 to win the Supercars Championship.
Speedcafe’s Simon Chapman said Payne’s progress this season has been clear, with the Kiwi carrying lessons from last year into his championship campaign.
Payne qualified for the newly formatted finals series in 2025, but his campaign ended at the Sandown 500 when he and Cam Waters came together, damaging Payne’s steering while both drivers were running in positions that would have secured them a place in the Adelaide Grand Final.
“I think he took a lot of learnings out of last year and what to do and what not to do and he's been really controlled and measured and I think this year has really shown his development as a driver,” Chapman told Sport Nation Mornings.
“He's been very calm, very steady. There have been no moments throughout this entire season where he's really made any meaningful mistakes. He sort of controlled the championship from the outset.”
Matt Payne's mindset shift after conquering Bathurst | Sport Nation
Payne’s lead gives him an advantage heading into Adelaide, although the new championship format means the title is still insecure.
“Under the old format, he would have been going into Adelaide with basically the championship wrapped up.
“But under this new format, he goes into the final with I think it's a 30 point buffer back to Brodie Kostecki.”
2026 championship leader Broc Feeney and reigning champion Chaz Mostert are the other two drivers also in contention.
“All of those guys won at Adelaide last year, all the top three of those guys took race wins at Adelaide, so the form guide suggests that they're all going to be very, very fast.”
Matt Payne wins the Sandown 500 | Photo: Photosport
The race at Sandown last weekend saw Will Brown, Cam Waters and Anton De Pasquale eliminated, Payne qualified pole position for both races, finishing second to Kostecki on Saturday and winning on Sunday.
Ahead of the 2026 Bathurst 1000, Payne told Sport Nation while it would have been nice to go back-to-back at Mount Panorama, a championship win was highest on his priority list.
“After getting Bathurst done, the championship is a much more rounded picture.”
Listen to the full interview below:
Tune into Sport Nation for live commentary of the Supercars Adelaide Grand Final, November 29 from 5pm - download the app today on Google Play and the App Store.
