WHEN David Reynolds lines up on the grid for the Bathurst 500 next month it will not only mark the first time he takes part in a Supercars season opener at Mount Panorama - he'll also be racing for a new team.
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Kelly Grove Racing has confirmed that Reynolds will be joining the team as driver of the #26 Penrite Racing Ford Mustang for the 2021 Supercars Championship and beyond.
Reynolds is a popular character in pit lane and a highly accomplished driver with multiple race wins to his name, including a Bathurst 1000 win in 2017 with his former team Erebus Motorsport.
The 35-year-old has spent the last five seasons with Erebus, the confirmation of the switch coming a decade after Reynolds last drove for Kelly Racing.
He did so in 2011, a highlight of that season being an appearance in the Bathurst 1000's top 10 shootout.
Reynolds joins André Heimgartner in the team's two-car tilt at the 2021 championship.
"I'm unbelievably happy to be joining Kelly Grove Racing for the 2021 season and beyond. It's obviously a very exciting time for the team with the recent investment from the Grove Group and I believe the team has the resources and firepower to achieve great things this year and continue building on some of the success we saw last year," Reynolds said.
"I think we're on the cusp of something really awesome at Kelly Grove Racing, the infrastructure and culture that's in place has already really impressed me and I'm excited for the 2021 season.
"I'm also looking forward to working with André as his team-mate, we'll definitely push each other and hopefully get the two Mustangs up the pointy end."
With young gun Heimgartner remaining in car #7, Reynolds's experience will provide a fantastic team dynamic against his team-mate's relative youth in the category and there is a firm belief that both drivers will push each other to succeed in the championship.
Reynolds's Ford Mustang will be backed by Australian family-owned and operated oil company Penrite.
With Penrite founded in in Melbourne in the year 1926, Reynolds will adopt the number #26 for his Ford Mustang.
Team co-owner Todd Kelly is excited to see what Reynolds, who's record includes seven race wins and 31 podiums, can do for the new season which will start with the Bathurst 500.
"It's fantastic to have Dave joining the team, he's a driver with a lot of experience under his belt and who's had a lot of success during his career in Supercars so far," Kelly said.
"I believe that with the direction the team is heading in and our ambitions for the future, Dave will be an extremely strong asset who will have the ability to achieve strong results immediately and also compliment André and help him to continue his development path.
"I think with the driver line-up we've landed with, both drivers will push each other to succeed, as was the case with Rick and André last season, which is exactly what we were after when deciding on what direction to go in."
