Cessnock's mayor has put up his hand to host a Supercars round after the motor racing organisation abandoned the Newcastle 500 for next year.
Supercars chief executive Shane Howard called Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes this week to say the organisation was moving ahead with a back-up plan to transfer the first event of 2024 to Bathurst.
The cancellation follows a protracted dispute between Newcastle council and the NSW government after the council refused to endorse a proposed one-year race extension.
Cessnock mayor Jay Suvaal said his town was ready to step into the breach.
"I would love to have it here," he said on Thursday.
"We've seen the benefits the event brings for tourism in the region, and it's important to keep it in the Hunter region.
"We've got a really big motor sport following ... we're a world-class tourism destination and Cessnock council would be really willing to work with Supercars, the NSW government and Destination NSW about what we can do to keep the race in the Hunter in our local government area."
Cr Suvaal said the opportunity to stage the race had "come up pretty quick", but he was hopeful that with government financial support Cessnock could host the event from 2025.
The Labor representative said the council had no concrete plan to stage the event but the track could be a street circuit, at Cessnock Airport or, eventually, on a purpose-built circuit in the area.
"Can part of the airport be used? There's taxiways and runways that could create a circuit," he said.
"We've got former mining land. Is there somewhere someone would want to build a purpose-built track?"
At least two senior Cessnock council staff were involved in planning the Newcastle street circuit in 2017.
Cr Suvaal said Cessnock council would not face the opposition from residents and businesses that plagued the Newcastle East race.
