Story's blunt assessment after DJR's 'brutal' Gold Coast

"If you're not winning or up the front, it doesn't matter where you finish."

That was the clear message from Dick Johnson Racing Team Principal Dr Ryan Story, who says the Ford team has to “take our medicine” after a brutal Gold Coast.

Courtesy of a 165-point haul, the team's worst of the season, Shell V-Power Racing Team slipped to fifth in the teams’ championship at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

Will Davison struggled in qualifying, starting 22nd in both races before finishing 19th and 20th. Anton De Pasquale, who will join Team 18 next year, finished 11th in the opener, before crashing out of Sunday’s race.

When asked on Supercars.com's Schick Cool Down Lap if there were any positives the team could take to Adelaide, Story replied: "Only if you can give me a bit of a running start.

"But, yeah, it was a really brutal weekend for us, and not the results we are seeking. We've just got to take our medicine, regroup and see how we go in Adelaide.”

DJR could still finish as high as third in the teams' points with a near-perfect Adelaide, while De Pasquale and Davison could also end the year as high as fifth in the drivers' championship.

However, while DJR is 144 points behind Penrite Racing heading to Adelaide, Erebus Motorsport, Matt Stone Racing and PremiAir Nulon Racing are all within striking distance.

The Ford team is just 12 points ahead of Erebus, with MSR a further 21 points behind. PremiAir, meanwhile, is 50 points behind MSR.

However, Story, who oversaw three consecutive drivers' titles, a Bathurst win and three teams' titles between 2017 and 2020, wants nothing less than being in the fight for victory.

"Honestly, I couldn't care less or give a shit. If you're not winning or up the front, it doesn't matter where you finish," Story said.

“Come back to me when we're fighting over sheep stations. But fighting over P5 in the teams' championship, whoop-de-f***ing-doo."

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will conclude at the VAILO Adelaide 500 from November 14-17. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

Live coverage can be found on Foxtel, with live streaming available on Kayo. The Seven Network will take free to air coverage. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.

DJR's 2024 teams' championship trajectory