Two photos adorn the helmet of Supercars driver Mark Winterbottom.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
His sons, Oliver and Austin, stay with the 2015 champion whenever he hits the track but following the birth of third child Elliot five months ago Winterbottom reckons he'll have to update the gear next season.
It's a clear sign that the 38-year-old, who will become the seventh person to reach 500 race starts when he lines up at Newcastle on Saturday, won't be slowing down anytime soon.
"They're my two boys and I've got another one that was born mid year and he hasn't made it on there [the helmet] so I'm probably a bad dad," Winterbottom said from pit lane along Wharf Road on Thursday.
"The helmets aren't big enough to fit my whole Griswold family on there so we'll add him next year.
"The kids have always been on the helmet. It's a nice little touch and it's cool that they see themselves on the helmet and they're actually pretty proud of it."
Saturday will mark Winterbottom's fifth race at the Newcastle 500, which began with a double header weekend in 2017, and the experienced campaigner feels like the event is now here to stay on the calendar.
"It's supported so well, people show that by buying tickets and turning up and it's been one of the biggest ones," he said.
"It's such a good event. You walk into town, people know the race is on, it's in the heart of Newcastle and it suits our sport really well.
"I hope it's here for years to come and I hope that I'm here in years to come to keep coming here because it is one of my favourites and it's important for the championship."
Winterbottom, also known by nickname "Frosty", made his Supercars debut in 2003 and claimed the main prize four years ago following six podium finishes on the overall leaderboard.
He also won Australia's iconic motorsport race Bathurst in 2013.
But for Winterbottom, longevity and credibility in his chosen sport outweigh any successes.
"Everyone always looks at race wins or whatever, but to be in this sport for so long is an achievement in itself and to have credibility I guess," he said.
"I was 13 years at one team, to have the support of people like Charlie [Schwerkolt, Team 18 owner] who believe that heavily in you to represent his team ... people buying your merchandise because they want to support you.
"Everyone gets carried away with stats and race wins and we've all got stories about that. It's probably the support you have and lasting so long, I think that's the coolest thing.
"It's what you love, it's your hobby, it's your passion and people pay you to do it and they believe that heavily in you. That probably digs deeper, more than a race win.
"The other stuff is just the cream on the cake."
Winterbottom, the second oldest driver still on the Supercars grid, said it's "full speed ahead" ahead of 2020 with Scott Pye set to join Team 18 to double the number of cars.
"He [Pye] is coming at a perfect time," he said.
"We've done 12 months of regrouping, recruiting and developing everything.
"He saw something in our team that was attractive, which means we've done our job to get the team in a position that he wanted to join."
Winterbottom sits 14th on the championship ladder with 1951 points, within striking distance of upcoming teammate Pye (1980) and Anton de Pasquale (1979).
His previous best Newcastle 500 result is sixth.
Supercars action gets underway with two practice sessions on Friday. Qualifying, a top-10 shootout and season-ending races 31 and 32 follow on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here
IN THE NEWS
- In this suburban edible forest it's natural to sit back and let the magic happen
- Newcastle singer faces 45 fresh charges as more complainants come forward
- Australian women win landmark pelvic mesh class action case against Johnson & Johnson
- The Newcastle cafe commissioning street art to make one epic view over coffee
- Supercars countdown: drivers relaxed 24 hours out from Newcastle 500