Like the rest of the world, there is plenty of choice when it comes to entering motorsport as an owner and for most of the first quarter of the twenty-first century, buying a car or a truck in the Stock Car family was not high on the list for Australian buyers.

That started to change in the early 2010s with the introduction of Stock Cars Australia and momentum really pick-up steam during the COVID years and now there are plenty of owners out there with more to come (hopefully us among them).

We asked five car or truck owners what had inspired them to make their purchases.

Brad Burgess – #47 Toyota Camry

Brad Burgess, owner of the #47 Toyota had a couple of inspirations when it came to purchasing his car.

“1. being a huge Ambrose fan in his V8 Supercars era (still have some memorabilia lying around) and 2. Having worked on AUSCAR and NASCARs growing up and having a passion for HQ’s, it is great to be the custodian of the ‘Sweathog’ Dome HQ ………..It was a no brainer that given the opportunity to own/restore the #47 Ambrose Camry (which fortunately I was), and to honour the car by restoring it back to its former Livery.“

Eddie Ivermee – #23 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Eddie Ivermee’s journey started when the release of Days of Thunder helped greatly boost the profile of NASCAR in Australia though he would have to wait a long time for his opportunity to be in the sport to arrive.

“I was in secondary school and Matchbox bought out a range of collectable NASCARs not long after Days Of Thunder aired on Australian television, my mates and I all collected them and we would trade them like kids would trade trading cards, I would also religiously watch the racing at the Thunderdome on Speedweek whenever a race would air.

I started racing speedway at 14 with the intention that when I was old enough, I would race at the Thunderdome, I even had a HQ Holden that was a paddock bomb that I had planned to turn into my race car but unfortunately, by the time I was old enough, the Thunderdome was in its decline and so I continued with speedway.

In early 2024, Drive Events ran a track day on the Thunderdome I jumped at what might have been my only opportunity to live out a dream, I used a Mitsubishi Magna that I had just used to compete in Challenge Bathurst.

While at the Thunderdome, Brad Hall had his AUSCAR/Sportsman there and Richard White was driving his #8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, I got talking to Brad and asked where they run the cars and he mentioned that there was a series called Stock Cars Australia and I instantly knew I had to be involved. so, I sold the Magna and my speedway car and went on the hunt for a car which ended when I saw the Oldsmobile being advertised for sale on ASCN.“

Phil Muffet – #41 Ford Thunderbird

Phil Muffet is one of a growing number of multi-car owners, he has the #41 Ford Thunderbird, the #1 Pontiac and the #7 Buick/#17 Buick/No number Pontiac that we here have nicknamed Blake’s 7 after the TV Show (Barry Blake + 7 = Blake’s 7).

“I’ve always loved V8s. There’s a rawness to a big naturally aspirated engine that nothing else comes close to. The sound, the torque, the sheer mechanical honesty of it. NASCAR has always been a bit special to me too. It’s distinctly American, full of history, and a stock car is a proper purpose-built race machine rather than a modified road car. On top of that, I collect cars, so the appeal was finding something genuinely unique. A NASCAR stock car isn’t something you see in every shed, especially in Australia. It stands apart from everything else in the collection. It brought all of that together: the V8 I’ve always loved, a bit of motorsport character and history, and a one-of-a-kind piece worth owning.“

Jeremy Gunson – #4 Chevrolet Silverado

Jeremy Gunson is one of a growing number of owners from Western Australia, he taken on the challenge of preparing an ex-FDNY Racing Chevrolet Silverado.

“Always loved stock cars since seeing Days of Thunder as a kid like many watched some truck races on Fox and thought they were cool,
I bought a hilux 4×2 as my first car as I raced motocross back in the 90’s and did it up as a mini truck like the guys were doing in the US in the 90’s.

When it came time to going stuff I’m going to bring in a stock car, I wanted a truck found one and shipped her over plus trucks have a bigger window which makes it easier to get in and out being 6 3” tall.“

Zac O’Hara – #27 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Zac O’Hara has done it all in SCA from participating in it to running it even driving a Stock Car, an OzTruck and an AUSCAR in the one season, here is his story.

I’ve been involved and there from day 1 with Stock cars Australia. From 2012 when Brian Walden started the category, 2018 with myself taking the category on and of course to the present. Many people all work together to keep SCA moving forward. In 2014 or 13 you’ll have to check (it was 2014). I met Rusty French at Winton Motor Raceway. He was racing in SCA that meeting… on the test day Chaz Mostert had also sampled the Chevrolet Monte Carlo of French. Not long after Rusty ran a SCA meeting at my local track, then Wakefield Park, now One Raceway. I could see his cars were of a high standard and race winners. At this time, I was helping whoever I could in SCA to soak it all in. Rusty and I spoke about this ‘other’ car he had in his collection. I was already impressed with the two Monte Carlos in his transporter. We spoke a couple of times over the phone and arranged for me and my father to go and inspect the car. I quickly realised that quality was of the highest with Rusty and as soon as I saw the blue interior I knew what car it was. Rusty even let me drive it around his concrete complex at his sand mine haha.

Confirmation from Rusty and Max Dumesny was all I needed to feel comfortable about the deal.

At 20 years old ,with a bank loan and help from my parents, I had bought Australia’s most successful Stock car from the Jane era. The memories that I’ve made in that car will last a lifetime.

So, there we have it, five owners with great stories and they are more stories to come as we hope to expand this series over the coming weeks and months, if you got a story to tell, drop us a line any time.