Merlin Darwin Triple Crown named best 2021 event

The Merlin Darwin Triple Crown has been named the Best Event of 2021.

The end-of-season award presentations kicked off on Wednesday, with the announcements to feature throughout the Repco Bathurst 1000 broadcast.

It marks the first of three Supercars Fans’ Choice Awards to be bestowed for the 2021 season.

The Best Event award returns after a one-year absence, following its introduction in 2019.

Hidden Valley Raceway hosted the fifth round of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship.

The June event was Darwin's 25th championship event in Supercars history.

June's three-day event featured a trio of 38-lap races, with Chaz Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen sharing the honours.

The weekend itself was a hit with fans, with the support line-up headlined by the Stadium Super Trucks and Australian Superbikes.

Nitro Up North Drag Racing event lit up the Friday night.

Fans flocked to Hidden Valley Raceway, with the Northern Territory circuit attracting more than 38,000 attendees.

The weekend included the biggest Friday ever, with over 10,000 people turning up. The second-largest Friday crowd on record was 7000 in 2003.

The Saturday night concert featured ARIA Award winner and Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning and Darwin’s own alternative rock band Rock Draft Day. 

The Merlin Darwin Triple Crown returns in 2022, confirmed to run across June 17-19. General admission tickets are on sale now.

In a first for the event and the sport, the 2022 Merlin Darwin Triple Crown will become the official Indigenous Round of the Supercars championship.

Since 2013, the Best Event award has been voted on by Supercars fans.

The 2021 awards will be presented at various stages throughout the Repco Bathurst 1000 broadcast.

The headline award is the coveted Barry Sheene Medal, which is awarded to Supercars' ‘best and fairest’ driver.

Supercars will hit the track on Thursday for Practice 1 at 10:00am AEDT. Click here to view the track schedule.

Every session of the event will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 503) and streamed on Kayo.

The Seven Network will provide live free to air coverage of the event. Tickets for the event are on sale now.