Why Nitty Gritty Newcastle Is A Bloody Big Deal For The Supercars

The biggest weekend of the Supercar calendar is fast approaching.

Yeah yeah we know we said that about Bathurst.

But with a Virgin Australia Supercars Championship crown there for the taking, you can't beat the Coates Hire Newcastle 500.

It's a street race taking place just a stone's throw from the ocean.

Picture the Holdens, Fords and Nissans tearing past Newcastle Harbour taking in views of Nobby's and more.

For a number of years the series finale had been run at Sydney's Olympic Park.

No more.

The race has been moved to the second-biggest city in New South Wales on a brand new street circuit many are saying looks to be one of the best ever designed for racing.

V8 legend Mark Skaife had a bit of a hand in it.

“We’ve put a huge amount of work into delivering up a really good racetrack with great character and great elevation change, showing off the vista and the beautiful aspects of Newcastle’s coastline,” Skaifey told Supercars.com.

This isn't a run of the mill "flat paddock" circuit you see in many parts of the country.

The run around Newy will take drivers to new heights.

Shell V-Power Racing's Scott McLaughlin couldn't contain his excitement when he had a sneak peak earlier this year.

“There’s not many street circuits with such a big hill, outside of Bathurst,” McLaughlin said.

“When they said we were going up there, I said ‘holy crap, that’s awesome.’"

“You’ll have to use the hill and the gravity to slow you down, which is quite cool."

It all begins on Friday November 24 when every one of the Supercars drivers will get their first steer of the circuit.

It's going to be an unfamiliar, somewhat alien experience as they find their limits and work out where they can floor it and where the braking zones are.

Both Saturday and Sunday see 250 kilometre races run with each of those getting a 20-minute qualifying session prior to shake out the grid.

The Supercars aren't the only game in town with a number of support categories on the programme along with rockers Cold Chisel headlining the Saturday after-race concert.

So who's gonna win this thing?

Hard to say.

Before the penultimate round in Auckland, we've got 5 drivers in with a shot of scraping home in what promises to be one of the closest finishes to the Championship in a number of years.

Hell, even Shane Van Gisbergen who resides 5th in the order could defend his maiden Championship.

Just 189 points separate the five blokes from 1st placed Jamie Whincup to his team-mate 'The Giz' in 5th.

With a maximum 300 points up for grabs from a regular race weekend, we'll update you on who sits where after New Zealand.

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