Brodie Kostecki says he has been working overtime to get himself fit for the Townsville 500, as he looks to rebound from a disastrous Darwin Triple Crown weekend.
Kostecki will look to light up the Reid Park Street Circuit track on Friday when he competes in the first of three Supercars races across the weekend, the 100km 35-lap sprint.
But the Dick Johnson Racing star enters the north Queensland round having missed the final race in Darwin on June 21 after he fell ill and was also battling back issues.
In dramatic scenes in Darwin, after he finished the second race, in which his headgear malfunctioned, the 28-year-old was rushed to the medical tent.
By the next morning he hadn't improved and pulled out of the third race, denting his chances of climbing up the standings.
But Kostecki, who is fourth in the driver standings, says he has received a clean bill of health and is ready to get his season back on track.
"I've just been doing everything I can to make sure I'm fit and healthy to obviously get back behind the wheel again and not have a repeat of what happened in Darwin," Kostecki said.
"I'm feeling fit and ready and excited to drive the car again."
The Townsville 500 shapes as a crucial point on the Supercars calendar, being the third-last weekend before the Sprint Cup winner is crowned.
The Sprint Cup champion is guaranteed a finals berth.
Kostecki has tasted victory on the Townsville circuit, having claimed his first race win with Dick Johnson Racing at the track last year.
"It's a pretty intense circuit, but I've got a great team around me that has given me all the tools to do the job and leave no stone unturned," he said.
But all eyes won't just be on how Kostecki recovers on Friday.
His 19-year-old teammate Rylan Gray was riding high heading into his rookie season after winning the Super2 series last year.
He is currently 21st in the standings, without a pole position, win or podium finish this campaign.
A reminder of how things stack up on the @baileyladders Leaderboard ahead of our weekend in the Ville đŽ #RepcoSC #Supercars pic.twitter.com/MYPxjxUkMo
â Supercars (@supercars) July 8, 2026
"He (Gray) has probably never been in this situation before where he's driving for a really high-profile team," Kostecki said.
"He only started racing five or six years ago, but he's won in every single category he's been in, so he's definitely got all the ingredients. He's just got to piece them all together."
Championship leader Broc Feeney will also look to rebound from a below-par performance in Darwin, with his lead cut to just 15 points over Grove Racing's Matt Payne.
