52-driver field descends on Sandown for 60th anniversary Sandown 500

Supercars goes endurance racing this weekend at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500, the 60th anniversary of the historic Sandown enduro classic.

52 drivers – 26 Supercars – are entered in this year’s event, including a wildcard entry for Supercars legend Craig Lowndes and Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Lowndes is a six-time winner of the Sandown 500, and burst onto the Supercars scene at the venue when he made his Supercars debut back in 1994.

Now paired with young gun Cooper Murray, who was only born in 2001, Lowndes is eager to pass on his knowledge to the 23-year old who is set to graduate to the main game of Supercars in 2025 with Erebus Motorsport.

Tickford Racing’s James Moffat is driving alongside Cam Waters for the fourth consecutive season, and is eager to add his name to the Sandown 500 winners’ list, something his father Allan did six times.

Moffat finished second with Chaz Mostert in the 2019 Sandown 500, and has finished on the Bathurst 1000 podium twice with Waters, but is yet to taste victory in the two longest races of the season.

Grove Racing’s Matt Payne will also be a driver to watch this weekend. The 21-year old won the most recent long-distance race of the season, a 250-kilometre race on the streets of Townsville in July.

Kiwi Payne is driving with 5-time Bathurst winner and 2016 Sandown winner Garth Tander, regarded as one of the top co-drivers in the field, with the No. 19 Penrite Ford thought to be a strong chance at the top step of the podium.

Payne’s Grove Racing team unveiled a special all-blue livery this morning on its two Mustangs, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Allan Moffat’s 1974 win of the enduro in the Brut XB Ford Falcon.

On-track action at the 2024 Penrite Oil Sandown 500 begins tomorrow, with the historic endurance race to take place on Sunday September 15.

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