Red Bull Ampol Racing team principal Jamie Whincup has denied snubbing three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen for his teammate amid his chase for overseas glory.
Van Gisbergen has been linked to making the move to the US series since becoming the first driver in 60 years to win his maiden NASCAR start in early July.
But just two weeks after the historic win, tensions boiled between the 34-year-old and his team in Townsville.
Van Gisbergen, who had started at the back of the grid, was ordered to give his chequered fourth position to young teammate Broc Feeney for failing to chase down third place.
Whincup claims the order was not spurred on by van Gisbergen’s potential NASCAR move.
"There was no preferential treatment. That definitely didn’t happen," he said on Friday.
"It was a situation where we could have done a better job of communicating but no one was hard done by it in any way.
"We’ve never had a number one or number two. We’ve had equal opportunity for both drivers."
The New Zealand native has yet to confirm his move to the overseas series but has indicated he was committed to a future in Australia through 2025.
Erebus Motorsport driver Brodie Kostecki is also set to make his NASCAR debut next month.
Meanwhile, Kostecki's teammate Will Brown is firm on staying and winning in Australia.
"I have respect for (NASCAR) ... but really, I'm focused on Australian motorsport," Brown said on Friday.
Saturday's 51-lap, 200-kilometre race will take place under lights, while Sunday’s affair will be a 140km daytime battle.
The top four drivers in the Supercars standings are separated by just 72 points after 17 races.
Brown tops the leaderboard by a mere seven points from Kostecki, with Feeney and van Gisbergen trailing in third and fourth respectively.
