Stanaway: Sitting out the right call despite concussion denial

Richie Stanaway has revealed how he initially tried to convince medical staff he was okay to race following his heavy qualifying accident at the VAILO Adelaide 500.

Stanaway's 2024 campaign came to an abrupt end following a 52G accident at Adelaide's infamous Turn 8 sweeper, which led to a concussion.

The racer's edge immediately kicked in for Stanaway who, after hitting the wall, could be seen shaking his head over the incident as he limped back to pit lane, before Cameron Hill and David Reynolds also crashed.

However, following the Saturday morning practice session, Stanaway visited the medical centre and was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the weekend, with Dale Wood and Kai Allen both stepping in amid dramatic scenes.

Stanaway, determined to depart Penrite Racing on a high note, said he was "in denial" about his condition, before insisting the right call was made to keep him on the sidelines.

Stanaway's incident came before countryman Jaxon Evans was also ruled out of the Sunday race following his own crash, with Brad Jones Racing setting about repairing his damaged Chevrolet Camaro.

"Unfortunately for me, I didn't end up racing in Adelaide after a concussion that I suffered in the first qualifying," Stanaway said in a team video.

"It's not how I wanted to end the season. Initially I was in denial about the condition I was in and tried to convince the medical staff to let me drive.

"But in the end, it was the right call for me to not be in the car. Fortunately, despite the driver changes, the team managed to maintain fourth in the teams' championship, which was the objective before the weekend.

"So, pleased that my incident didn't have any effect on the teams' championship."

The last line reflects the final round intentions for Stanaway, who despite moving on in 2025, was keen to help deliver fourth in the teams' championship for Penrite Racing.

Amid Stanaway's absence, Wood and Allen did enough for the team to hang onto fourth, even after Matt Payne was taken out of Sunday's race.

The non-starts dropped Stanaway to 19th in the final drivers' standings, which was a bitter pill to swallow after the Kiwi impressed at the enduros and the Gold Coast.

However, Stanaway was hopeful he was able to contribute to the team in 2024, and wished the Ford squad well for 2025.

"It's been up and down, but I feel like, for us to be fourth in the teams' championship, I think is a solid result," said PremiAir Nulon Racing-bound Stanaway, who will be replaced by Allen next season.

"There's no bad teams in Supercars. It's just good ones and great ones and the best ones.

"They'd say they want to be first or second in the teams' championship, but I think for the amount of seasons that the team has had to gain momentum, I think they should be proud at this moment to be fourth in the teams' championship, and I think that we have really learned a lot throughout the year.

"It's such a competitive series, everyone's developing a lot and moving forward, and I feel like we've been a part of that as a team and progressed a lot to maintain that spot in the teams' championship.

"Hopefully, as I step out, he team's set up for the opportunity to move further forward in the future, and I wish them the best of luck."

Stanaway will make his debut for PremiAir at the opening round in Sydney next February. Tickets for the February 21-23 event, and the majority of 2025 events, are on sale now,