Todd Kelly announces retirement from Supercars and will not co-drive

Todd Kelly has announced that he will retire from racing in the Supercars championship after this year’s season finale and he has confirmed that he will not return as co-driver next year.

“It’s a really hard decision for me to take the helmet off for good,” said Kelly to supercars.com.

“It’s been good but I can’t do it forever, even though I’d love to. But everything is lined up for it to be the time to hang the helmet up. To have a 20-year career doing something you love is pretty special. It’s been a long, solid and clean career of being a professional driver.

Jason Bright also announced his retirement from the championship recently with the exception that he is likely to be back for a co-driver seat for the endurance races in 2018, something Kelly will not.

“It’s one of those things that you won’t really know what you want until the time comes,” said Kelly.

“I’ve never really not been a race car driver, so I don’t know what it’s going to feel like to get on a plane and go to Adelaide and stand in the garage. I don’t know how I’ll handle or process that until I’m in that situation, whether I’m itching to get in the car or not. [But] as of right now it’s not part of my plan to jump in the car again.”

Kelly made his debut in the championship in 2000, scoring a first victory with the Holden Young Lions.