The 2014 V8 Supercars Championship grid will edge closer to completion when Volvo Polestar Racing reveals its second driver in Melbourne this morning.
Volvo has called media to its team headquarters in Dandenong, where it will end months of speculation over the identity of Scott McLaughlin’s team-mate.
Swede and long-time Polestar driver Robert Dahlgren has been the favourite for the drive since attending Volvo’s June announcement that it would join V8 Supercars in 2014.
The speculation has been fuelled by an admission from Polestar that it would prefer to work with one of its own drivers, particularly while the S60 package is being developed.
The 34-year-old Dahlgren is a 10-year veteran of Polestar’s racing programs, currently competing in its five-car Scandinavian Touring Car Championship effort.
The 2014 V8 Supercars Championship currently has no confirmed drivers from outside Australasia following the exits of Frenchman Alexandre Premat and German Maro Engel from the now Volvo team and Erebus respectively.
A 25 car grid currently appears most likely for the new V8 Supercars season, with the still vacant seats lying at Brad Jones Racing and what is expected to be a downsized Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.
Reigning Dunlop Series winner Dale Wood is strongly tipped to take over the ex-David Wall BJR entry, with a deal understood to be in the final stages of negotiation.
Tony D’Alberto remains a chance at the drive, however, as his family continues its quest to find the funding for the 28-year-old to remain on the grid.
The make-up of LDM’s effort is currently unclear, although the Melbourne-based outfit appears increasingly likely to provide a home for veteran Russell Ingall, who is known to have been in talks with the team since last year’s Sydney 500.
The new season will begin with the now traditional compulsory test day at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 15.
See below for the list of currently confirmed teams and drivers
# | Team | Driver | Car |
1 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VF |
2 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VF |
4 | Erebus Motorsport | Lee Holdsworth | Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG W212 |
5 | Ford Performance Racing | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG |
6 | Ford Performance Racing | Chaz Mostert | Ford Falcon FG |
7 | Nissan Motorsport | Todd Kelly | Nissan Altima L33 |
8 | Brad Jones Racing | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VF |
9 | Erebus Motorsport | Will Davison | Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG W212 |
14 | Brad Jones Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VF |
15 | Nissan Motorsport | Rick Kelly | Nissan Altima L33 |
16 | Dick Johnson Racing | Scott Pye | Ford Falcon FG |
17 | Dick Johnson Racing | David Wall | Ford Falcon FG |
18 | CS Racing | Jack Perkins | Ford Falcon FG |
#21 | Brad Jones Racing | TBA | Holden Commodore VF |
#22 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VF |
#33 | Volvo Polestar Racing | Scott McLaughlin | Volvo S60 |
#34 | Volvo Polestar Racing | TBA | Volvo S60 |
#36 | Nissan Motorsport | Michael Caruso | Nissan Altima L33 |
#47 | James Rosenberg Racing | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore VF |
#55 | Rod Nash Racing | David Reynolds | Ford Falcon FG |
#66 | Walkinshaw Racing | Tim Slade | Holden Commodore VF |
#TBA | Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | TBA | Holden Commodore VF |
#97 | Tekno Autosports | Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore VF |
#360 | Nissan Motorsport | James Moffat | Nissan Altima L33 |
#888 | Triple Eight Race Engineering | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VF |