Hazelwood to make MSR move
Todd Hazelwood is expected to complete Matt Stone Racing's line-up for the 2022 Supercars season.
Motorsport.com sources have indicated that an MSR return has been sealed for Hazelwood as the Queensland-based squad eyes an all-new roster for the 2022 season.
Hazelwood, who is set to depart Brad Jones Racing, is expected to team up with Jack Le Brocq in MSR Holdens next year.
Hazelwood has history with MSR dating back to a maiden second-tier Super2 series campaign back in 2014.
He continued to drive for the team until the end of 2019, helping MSR to the Super2 title in 2017 before team and driver stepped up to the main game together the following year.
MSR somewhat unexpectedly found itself without any drivers for next season when Jake Kostecki inked a deal with Tickford and Zane Goddard then announced his impending departure.
Le Brocq was quickly sorted in a straight swap with Kostecki, while a number of drivers were linked to the Goddard seat before Hazelwood emerged as the clear front-runner.
Neither driver have been formally confirmed by MSR, however team boss Matt Stone did tell the Parked Up podcast earlier this week that he has his drivers for 2022 sorted.
“Our plans for next year are fully locked and loaded, we are working on putting the release together, and looking at the different ways to do it,” Stone explained.
“The big focus for us over the past in the last couple of years is to aim to have continuity into the Gen3 rollover so we can really capitalise on it.
“We don’t want new drivers, new crew, new this and that, while we are trying focus on a new car.
“Now with that being pushed back to the following season, the next focus for us is to have continuity over the next two years.
“We have basically put it all together and we are packaging it up to release it to the world, on what our two-year forecast is, it’s locked and loaded and coming out very shortly.
“We did have a plan to release [Tuesday] morning and give a piece to the puzzle on what we are putting together. However, we have since decided to go with a different strategy to maybe a bigger release.
“It takes a bit longer to put it together to give a lot more of the whole puzzle rather than just pieces of it.”
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...
