Matt Payne was lined up for a shock NASCAR Cup Series debut at Sonoma later this month. His own team made sure it never happened.
The plan, first revealed on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton, would have put the 23-year-old Bathurst 1000 winner in a Chevrolet-aligned Richard Childress Racing entry at the road course on June 28 — the same team that launched the Cup careers of fellow Supercars exports Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown.
"Aussie Supercars standout Matthew Payne was set to make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chevrolet wanted to place him with RCR in Sonoma," co-host Will Buxton said. "However, as we understand it, his Ford Grove Racing team Down Under have blocked the move, so he now won't be racing at Sonoma."
The block is the latest move in a tug-of-war over Payne's future. General Motors is understood to want him to lead its Supercars program with homologation squad Team 18, dangling a hefty salary and international opportunities. Grove Racing, a Ford squad, insists he honours a contract that runs to the end of 2027.
Team owner Stephen Grove confirmed the decision in a pointed statement.
"Grove Racing confirms that it did not approve Matt Payne's request to participate in a NASCAR race for General Motors," Grove said. "Matt is contracted to Grove Racing until the end of the 2027 season, and during that period, he is not permitted to participate in any driving opportunity that conflicts with his contractual obligations to Grove Racing."
"Grove Racing takes its commercial and technical relationship with Ford Racing seriously and at no time would look to jeopardise that for a one off NASCAR drive with a competing manufacturer," he said. "Matt has recently returned from a significant wrist injury. Grove Racing's priority is to ensure Matt is managed responsibly, protects his recovery, and remains fully focused on his commitments with the team."
Grove also questioned GM's motives. "We are also surprised that General Motors would look beyond its own substantial stable of talented Supercars drivers in Australia and instead approach a contracted driver from a competing manufacturer," he said.
Payne's manager, Michael Patrizi, saw it differently — as a missed chance for the whole category.
"It would have been an incredible opportunity not only for Matthew, but for Australian motorsport," Patrizi told Code Sports. "Seeing one of our brightest talents compete against NASCAR's best can only help grow motorsport and inspire the next generations."
He pointed to the Shane van Gisbergen effect as proof of what is on the table. "When a manufacturer like GM wants to place a driver at a top team like RCR in their top tier this says a lot about how Matthew is regarded and speaks volumes about how they view Supercars," Patrizi said.
For now, the stalemate holds. Payne sits second in the Supercars standings behind Broc Feeney, still tied to Grove and Ford — and, for at least one weekend, denied a taste of the Cup Series.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/grove-blocks-matt-paynes-surprise-nascar-cup-debut). Visit for full coverage.*
