Lowndes was due to go to the Northern Territory this weekend to be part of a reduced television presence on site, however, the official Online Supercars website reports that he has made the decision to stay in Queensland while his son Levi recovers from a motocross accident.
He will be replaced in Darwin through regular Supercars Media journalist Crehan, who left before the 2020 season resumes in June.
Crehan and Mark Larkham are expected to be the only on-screen skill in the box in Darwin for the show’s Fox Sports component, with host Jess Yates and commentators Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife in Sydney paintings position thanks to border restrictions.
Network 10 will also have an extremely limited on-site presence for its live coverage; hosts Kate Peck and Scott Mackinnon will be working from Sydney, while drivers Will Davison and Michael Caruso will provide expert analysis from Brisbane and Melbourne respectively.
Andrew Jones will be the 10-member team member in Darwin this weekend.
Supercars Media will also have a production team spread between Darwin and Sydney, to restrict the number of groups on the road and, therefore, away from their homes and families, the prolonged northward turn.
“It’s not practical to have the entire streaming team on the road for so long,” GENERAL Manager of Television and Supercars Content Nathan Prendergast told the Supercars website.
“What we do in terms of production department is a novelty for Supercars.
“Ideally, everyone, besides Mark and Neil, prefers to be available to sort their searches, however, we’re going to set up WhatsApp teams with team owners, etc. to get the data flow.”
The Darwin Triple Crown, the first leg of the proposed double-header at Hidden Valley, will be shown live across both Fox Sports (including streaming service Kayo) and Network 10.
The midweek Darwin SuperSprint, which has yet to be officially confirmed, will only be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo if held.
Schedules and preview of Darwin Triple Crown 2020 Supercars sessions