There is no doubt that Shane Van Gisbergen’s run of success in NASCAR has had a positive effect on the sport in Australia in 2026.

There is no shortage of Stock Car related items to buy on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, from models to cards, they are all there.

V8 Sleuth recently asked the question ‘Would you go to the Thunderdome if it were still running today?’ and there was a good amount of support for the Thunderdome (and Adelaide International Raceway).

We do have Stock Car racing in Australia, Stock Cars Australia runs races featuring all members of the Stock Car family, you’ve got Stock Cars, AUSCAR, Sportsman, OzTruck and invited vehicles (Muscle Division) in the one field.

Stock Cars Australia has rounds at One Raceway on June 20-21, Winton on August 29-30 and Calder Park Raceway on November 14-15.

The Stock Cars are Generation 4 to Generation 6, so far you have the Ford Thunderbird, Chevrolet Lumina, Holden Commodore, Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang for this year.

The Oldsmobile Cutlass and the Pontiac Grand Prix are expected to join in the near future.

People are buying into Stock Cars, Paul Chambers recently brought the #08 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Eddie Ivermee has restored an Oldsmobile Cutlass and has a Buick in the restoration queue, Phil Muffet brought the #41 Ford Thunderbird in 2025 and he also has two Pontiacs being restored, Jake Frisch has a Pontiac being restored, Brad Burgess has the #47 Toyota Camry body and chassis awaiting parts, Andrew Bear has the #4 Oldsmobile, Andrew Atkins has the #75 Ford Thunderbird and the list goes on.

There is growth in AUSCAR and Sportsman use in recent years, the #02 Ford Falcon Sportsman was sold to a new owner not long ago, and interest in an AUSCAR or a Sportsman is at an all-time high, the only issue is that cars are rarely put up for sale no matter if they are a roller or complete.

OzTruck numbers have remained steady, there’s a few that are not with SCA and of course others are likely available in America.

There are three Trucks in Australia, two of them are in Western Australia, the above is Josh Dale’s Chevrolet Silverado, and the hope is that we will get to see them in the east sometime in the future (or will the east one day go west?)

Entries for the 2026 season have been steadily climbing as vehicles are repaired or have completed restoration efforts, it is expected that the field will be at its best by the season finale at Calder Park Raceway.

Should the weather be good in November, you will likely see Stock Cars Australia partake in some exhibition laps on the Thunderdome, the above was from 2023, it was a wonderful time that year, Calder Park was back.

The Thunderdome would need a massive amount of TLC to get to be used by any competitive series but if that TLC was given, they’d be no shortage of series that would line up to have a crack on the Thunderdome, and they would have to keep the money rolling in.

During the 2024 Sunday Thunderdome exhibition laps that were open to everybody due to poor weather making the Thunderdome a bit of a gamble, we saw a bunch of Excels running laps two by two and it had people wondering about the possibilities.

Imagine TA2 using the Thunderdome or Excels, Stock Cars Australia, a completely new Australian NASCAR series with the current generation, the latter possibility would require a massive financial investment in an already crowded motorsports scene.

Don’t forget the combination of the National Circuit and the Thunderdome also opens up opportunities series too especially those who want a bit of endurance in their racing.

It is interesting that a race circuit with so many possibilities like Calder Park has not had a lot of political interest, motorsport is a big money spinner, and a motorsport loving MP or Premier who really likes it and isn’t doing it for photo ops could benefit from giving the place attention government funding or not.

As you can see, the state of Stock Car racing in Australia is in great shape and will continue to be in great shape for quite a long time.