Smith, 25, drove the SCT entry full-time in the championship for four seasons from 2020 before stepping back from racing and handing the seat to Jaxon Evans.

Evans had co-driven with Smith in 2022 and ’23, making this year’s endurance pairing a role reversal for the pair.

The surprise return of Smith, who is also set to compete in the Trans Am Series this year following his racing hiatus in 2024, edges the Endurance Cup field even closer to completion.

“It’s a good feeling to be back. I’m really quite excited to get in the car again and regain a feel for it,” said Smith.

“I went to a few races last year and worked with Jaxon and the team, so I have an understanding of where he’s going with the car. We work really well together and it’ll be great to race with him again.

“It’ll obviously be a bit different now that I’m the co-driver but there hasn’t been a lot of change since I left and we should have a good foundation to build from this year.”

SCT Motorsport manager Andrew Jones spruiked the Evans/Smith combination.

“With the experience and knowledge that Jack gained during his four years as a primary driver in the Supercars Championship, he will form an instrumental part of our endurance campaign for the Tailem Bend 500 and Bathurst 1000 later in the year,” he said.

“His desire and enthusiasm to be back racing again has really been infectious and in my mind says a lot about his strength of character.

“While the roles have been switched since the last time Jaxon and Jack shared driving duties together, I think they will be at their strongest this year and look forward to having SCT Motorsport’s strongest campaign in 2025.”

Smith scored a best championship result of 21st during his four full-time seasons, while Evans finished his rookie 2024 season in 23rd.