Lowndes’ 2017 season tested the resilience of one of Supercars’ greatest competitors. Despite going without a race win or podium for the first time in his full-time career, he remained a respected presence within Triple Eight. A difficult Bathurst ended with 11th place, while the season concluded amid the drama of the final-lap clash with Scott McLaughlin at Newcastle, where two retirements saw Lowndes finish 10th in the championship.

Craig Lowndes’ 2017 season was a challenging chapter in an otherwise extraordinary Supercars career. Driving the TeamVortex Holden Commodore alongside Triple Eight teammates Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen, Lowndes remained a highly experienced and respected presence within the championship, but the results did not come as freely as they had throughout much of his career.

For the first time in his full-time Supercars career, Lowndes completed an entire season without recording either a race victory or a podium finish. Although he produced flashes of strong pace and remained inside the championship’s leading group for much of the year, the increasingly competitive field and several difficult weekends prevented him from converting those opportunities into silverware.

The endurance campaign again paired Lowndes with Steven Richards, one of the most accomplished combinations in the history of the sport. Bathurst proved particularly demanding, with persistent rain and rapidly changing conditions creating one of the most unpredictable Great Races. Lowndes and Richards persevered through the difficult contest to finish 11th.

Despite the lack of headline results, Lowndes entered the final round at Newcastle sitting sixth in the championship. A difficult weekend brought two retirements, dropping him to 10th in the final standings—his lowest championship finish since joining Triple Eight. The season concluded amid the drama of the now-famous final-lap clash with Scott McLaughlin, placing Lowndes at the centre of one of Supercars’ most talked-about moments and bringing an eventful campaign to a memorable close.

While 2017 did not deliver the victories and podiums normally associated with Craig Lowndes, it demonstrated the resilience and professionalism that had defined his career. He continued to compete with determination, represent his team and partners with distinction, and maintain the admiration of supporters throughout a difficult campaign. The season would ultimately make his return to winning form—and his emotional seventh Bathurst 1000 triumph during his final full-time season in 2018—even more significant.