2020 Supercars Season Review
November 20, 2020
The 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship brought another title-winning season for the Shell V-Power Racing team as DJR Team Penske (DJRTP) completed a successful and memorable run in the popular Australian and New Zealand motorsports series. DJRTP produced a combined 14 race wins and 15 pole positions behind full-season drivers Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard on the way to securing its third team championship and the third consecutive driver's title for McLaughlin.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced series officials to halt the season for four months after the season-opening Adelaide 500 in February. When racing resumed in Sydney in late June, McLaughlin drove his Shell V-Power Ford Mustang to Victory Lane in the first race back, setting the tone for the balance of the season.
McLaughlin, the native of Christchurch, New Zealand, continued his torrid pace of production throughout 2020 as he scored a series-high 13 victories and 15 poles. The remarkable season was highlighted by a sweep of all three races in the Darwin SuperSprint in August. McLaughlin led the series standings for 26 of the 27 races and he actually clinched his latest driver's championship before the final weekend of the season. Since he joined DJR Team Penske in 2017, McLaughlin has posted 48 wins and 59 pole positions in Supercars competition.
Thanks to a combined 25 podium results by McLaughlin and Coulthard, DJR Team Penske also captured the prestigious Supercars Team’s Championship in 2020. It marked the second consecutive team title for DJR Team Penske to go along with the crown earned by the squad in 2017.
For Coulthard, the season highlight came at The BendSuperSprint in September. Coulthard edged Jack Le Brocq by just .469 of a second in the thrilling 24-lap race to score his 13th career victory in the Virgin Australia Supercars competition.
Following the conclusion of the season, Team Penske announced that it would not return to Supercars racing next season. Since Team Penske joined forces with Dick Johnson Racing in 2015, the team has won 56 races, 62 poles and six championships. Though the DJRTP program concluded in 2020, Dick Johnson Racing will return for its 40th season in 2021 featuring many of the same partners and personnel that have supported the program since two teams aligned six years ago.
McLaughlin, the three-time Supercars champ, was proud of the team's success this season. He also earned the opportunity to try a new challenge beginning next season as he will transition to the winning Team Penske INDYCAR program, joining a lineup that includes former series champs Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud.
“I’m proud of everyone at Shell V-Power Racing because it’s been an awesome year. It's been hard for a lot of teams, including ours, but I’m just proud to bring home the bacon. I think the camaraderie between the teams has been the most enjoyable thing this year," said McLaughlin after clinching the 2020 Supercars crown. "Now I'm looking forward to the challenge of joining one of the most iconic motorsports programs of all time, Team Penske's IndyCar team."