By Sunday 
‘We’re All Cheating!’: Brown Eyes Shot at NASCAR Oval Glory
Supercars star Will Brown has a bold goal: tear it up on the streets of Chicago in July, then take that momentum straight to an oval.
Right now, though? “We’re all cheating,” he joked, laughing with reporters when asked about the wave of Aussies making the jump to NASCAR. “None of us are doing an oval!”
From Supercars to the Streets of Chicago
Brown’s set to pilot a Kaulig Racing car in the NASCAR Cup Series race on the Chicago street course—his second start in the series after debuting at Sonoma last year. The choice to run street circuits isn’t just convenience; it’s strategic. As Brown explained, the layout is closer to what Supercars drivers know best.
Shane van Gisbergen’s surprise win in Chicago last year cracked the door wide open for more Supercars talent. Since then, Brodie Kostecki, Cam Waters, and Brown himself have all dipped their toes into Cup competition.
But the oval? That’s a different beast.
The Oval Dream
Brown isn’t just content with road courses. He’s itching to test his skills on the high banks and tight turns of NASCAR ovals—but knows the path there isn’t easy.
“I think the biggest thing for us, realistically, it comes down to sponsors and support,” he said, candidly. “Hopefully for myself, if I can have a good run at Chicago, potentially my sponsors and hopefully someone else will back me into maybe doing an Xfinity or a Truck oval.”
He’s got the backers—MobileX and Shaw and Partners are on board—but making the jump to ovals is still a big ask. The learning curve is steep, and the funding even steeper.
“It’s very hard to get the support and sponsors to go and run an oval straight away, because we probably are going to struggle [with] the first one,” Brown admitted.
Watching and Learning
In the meantime, Brown’s doing his homework—closely watching van Gisbergen’s full-time Cup season unfold.
“It’s shown how competitive those guys are over there, and also how difficult the ovals are. There’s a lot to learn on them,” Brown said.
He’s keeping a particularly close eye on how van Gisbergen adapts. “It’s been interesting watching Shane. He had some really good runs last year and looked very competitive and then this year he’s having a bit more of a tough time. But it’s great to see him run well on the weekend at the Coca-Cola 600.”
What’s Next?
Brown’s immediate focus is Chicago—but make no mistake, he’s thinking beyond the street race. If things go well, the next chapter could involve a roaring oval, a new set of challenges, and a whole lot of left turns.
For now, he’s still “cheating”—but he’s dreaming big.