The top 10 Supercars drivers of 2020

The 2020 Supercars season was one like no other, with the COVID pandemic forcing a three-month hiatus and requiring many members of the travelling circus to leave their homes for weeks at a time due to regional travel restrictions.

There was a familiar face at the top of the standings but, behind a dominant champion, there were some fascinating storylines to follow from contenders in and out of seats, thrilling intra-team tussles, a fairytale Bathurst 1000 win and some performances that bode very well for the near future.

Here's our top 10 Supercars drivers of 2020.

10. James Courtney (Team Sydney/Tickford Racing)

Championship Position: 13th
Best Finish: 2nd

James Courtney deserves a spot on the list through his tenacity alone. Earlier this year, the 2010 series champ's career was in a tailspin following his split with Team Sydney after just a single round.

After flirting with an Erebus wildcard deal, Courtney's fortunes took a remarkable turn when the pandemic set in and Will Davison was left in the cold by sponsor Milwaukee Tools. That opened the door for Courtney and backer Boost Mobile to jump in the fourth Tickford Mustang - and it wasn't a chance JC was about to waste.

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No testing meant Courtney had to do all his learning on race weekends (his first time in the car was Practice 1 in Sydney in June), but he still finished up with a second place and three fourths. A decent haul, all things considered.

9. Andre Heimgartner (Kelly Racing)

Championship Position: 14th
Best Finish: 2nd

For the second year running, Andre Heimgartner finished ahead of highly-rated team-mate and 2006 champion Rick Kelly in the final standings.

In its first year running the Ford Mustang package after ditching its uncompetitive Nissans, the Kelly Racing squad's form was tough to read in 2020. Dealing with the 100-plus day road trip didn't help, particularly given the team was banking on developing its engines during the season, but there were still flashes of speed.

When the cars were on song, it was Heimgartner leading the way for KR. He took a career-first pole at Sydney Motorsport Park, matched his career-best finish with a pair of seconds and finished in the top 10 on 11 occasions.

8. Anton De Pasquale (Erebus Motorsport)

Championship Position: 8th
Wins: 1

Last year, Anton De Pasquale closed the gap to Erebus team-mate David Reynolds. This year he comprehensively beat him.

It wasn't necessarily a straight fight within the team, as Reynolds was without race engineer Al McVean - who didn't take part in the border rush - for much of the season.

But, in a tough year for the team, there was little doubt De Pasquale was the form driver, banking a career-first win at Hidden Valley and finishing four spots clear of 'Decade Dave' in the standings.

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Now it's time for the next step in his young career, as a drive with the race-winning Dick Johnson Racing outfit beckons.

7. Scott Pye (Team 18)

Championship Position: 9th
Best Finish: 3rd

Team 18 gave us one of the most fascinating intra-team battles of 2020. While Mark Winterbottom had the upper hand early in his second season with the squad, its new signing from Walkinshaw Andretti United, Scott Pye, came home with serious wind in his sails.

Pairing 30-year-old Pye with experienced race engineer Phil Keed proved to be a masterstroke from the squad, the duo combining for a first podium together at Hidden Valley.

Qualifying pace was a consistent weak spot, but Pye almost always made huge gains in races. There were some genuine 'how'd he do that?' moments as he edged Winterbottom - the 2015 champion and a Bathurst winner in 2013 - in the standings.

6. Nick Percat (Brad Jones Racing)

Championship Position: 7th
Wins: 2

It was little surprise to see Nick Percat, a fast, calculating race driver, profit from the new post-pandemic break tyre rules.

The South Aussie doubled his wins tally - taking his first chequered flag since his giant-killing display for Lucas Dumbrell's team in 2016 at Adelaide - with a pair of victories across the Sydney Motorsport Park double-header, he and Brad Jones Racing perfectly picking when to use their good rubber.

Even as the rules settled across the season, Percat continued to punch above BJR's weight, with a second at Hidden Valley and a first career pole at Townsville. Seventh in the points - 10 spots clear of nearest team-mate Todd Hazelwood - was a well-deserved outcome.

5. Jamie Whincup (Triple Eight Race Engineering)

Championship Position: 4th
Wins: 4

It feels like it was years ago now, but back in March it was perfectly reasonable to think Jamie Whincup would really challenge for an eighth title. He won the first race of the season in Adelaide and took a pole for one of the Albert Park races that didn't go ahead.

Then the season went into its hiatus, and when the racing returned, Triple Eight struggled to get it right. Whincup did manage to keep the title fight mathematically going until the penultimate round at The Bend but, wins at Hidden Valley and Townsville aside, he never really looked like running down Scott McLaughlin.

His season then ended on a sour note with another Bathurst 1000 blunder, this time a shunt at The Cutting while trying to pass Brodie Kostecki. To add salt to the wound, the DNF dumped Whincup from second to fourth in the final standings.

4. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United)

Championship Position: 5th
Best Finish: 2nd

The move from Tickford to Walkinshaw Andretti United has proven to be a stroke of genius for Chaz Mostert.

Off the back of a somewhat unconvincing 2019 campaign, at least by Mostert's standards, he was back to his best this season. Both he and the squad seemed to benefit from a fresh bout of enthusiasm, which yielded a pole at The Bend and five podiums - three of them coming across the two Townsville meetings.

A win doesn't feel that far away, and with WAU adding Shane van Gisbergen's engineer Grant McPherson to its impressive line-up next season, who knows? Perhaps Mostert will be a genuine title contender...

3. Shane van Gisbergen (Triple Eight Race Engineering)

Championship Position: 3rd
Wins: 4

It wasn't a great season for Shane van Gisbergen, who had to wait until September to score his first wins of the year at Townsville. But, as the old saying goes, one good day at Mount Panorama can turn a whole season around.

And boy did van Gisbergen have a good day at Mount Panorama. The Kiwi finally claimed a Bathurst 1000 crown after barging into the lead during a brief rain shower, conditions just made for his flamboyant driving style, and then putting in a flawless drive over the remaining 100-odd laps to hold off a clearly faster Cam Waters.

Not only was it his first Bathurst win, but the last for a factory Holden. A fitting end to an era.

2. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)

Championship Position: 2nd
Wins: 1

Last year, Cam Waters closed the gap to then-Tickford team leader Chaz Mostert. This year he took on the squad's leader role - and ran with it.

It was a coming of age season for Waters, who showed he's ready to join the category's elite with a brilliant campaign. From the word go, he had one-lap speed to burn, while a new engineering direction from Townsville onwards allowed his race pace to significantly improve.

He took his first solo race win at The Bend and would have won the Bathurst 1000 had it not been for that rain shower while he wasn't in the car.

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1. Scott McLaughlin (DJR Team Penske)

Championship Position: 1st
Wins: 13

It had to be. This wasn't quite as impressive as his 2018 title, but boy-oh-boy it was close.

There was no asterisk this year. After aero re-homologation before the season, it was actually the Triple Eight Holdens that rolled out looking the speedier package when the 2020 season kicked off.

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But, post-pandemic, McLaughlin was in a league of his own. He and DJR Team Penske got their heads around the limited tyre set rules and sprint race formats so impressively quickly. The Kiwi almost always won when he could and maximised when he couldn't.

It was the perfect send-off as he embarks on a whole new challenge in IndyCar.