Long-time Supercars callers Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife were both sidelined ahead of the 2026 Supercars season as part of sweeping, and controversial, changes to the commentary line-up.
While Crompton has offered some public insight into his thoughts on the decision from Supercars, Skaife has to this point kept quiet on the matter amid discussions around the new Fox Sports MotorRacing 360 program, which debuted tonight.
And it was that platform that he used to make his first public comment on his removal from the Supercars commentary box.
In a short statement, Skaife said the situation was “awkward” and not handled well by the series, before clearly outlining that it was a “captain’s call” made by Supercars CEO Warburton.
“For me, with Neil Crompton and I not being in the commentary box, we’re seeing it from a different angle,” he told viewers. “It’s been a bit awkward, to be honest.
“It’s one of those ones where it probably wasn’t really handled that well, for Neil and I.
“There’s a bit of form there; it reminds me a bit of the AFL with Bruce McAvaney and Leigh Matthews being outed from the comm box in the Channel 7 days.
“It was a captain’s call.
“What I would like to say is thank you to James Warburton, because it has definitely helped my boxing regime and my golf handicap. I’ve got a lot more time at the moment, so things are good.”
Skaife was joined on the panel by co-hosts Jess Yates and Paul Murray along with News Corp journalist James Phelps.
The show is set to be broadcast each Wednesday night at 7:30pm on Fox Sports and Kayo.
This article first appeared on Speedcafe.com, a sister site to MotorRacing.com.
