Richie Stanaway has signed the deal that will see him make a full-time return to Supercars with Grove Racing.
Stanaway was in the frame for a Grove Racing contract, amid a frantic Supercars silly season.
It appears that the deal is now complete, with Stanaway to partner fellow Kiwi Matt Payne at the Ford squad next season.
The deal is expected to be announced early next week.
Stanaway’s return comes after he walked away not just from Supercars, but motor racing in general, at the end of 2019.
That was after a tumultuous two-year stint in Supercars with Tickford Racing and then Garry Rogers Motorsport.
He was tempted back to the sport by Peter Adderton in an Erebus-run wildcard at the Bathurst 1000 last year, where he shocked the paddock by qualifying fourth.
That earned him an enduro seat with Triple Eight alongside Shane van Gisbergen for 2023.
Stanaway will replace Team 18-bound David Reynolds at Grove Racing, with Reynolds set to replace Scott Pye next season.
Other silly season moves include van Gisbergen heading to NASCAR, Will Brown replacing him at Triple Eight, and Jack Le Brocq heading to Erebus.
That leaves a vacancy at MSR, while Blanchard Racing Team is likely to be in the market as well, with question marks over Todd Hazelwood’s future with the team.
