The event was the 65th running of the Bathurst 1000, which was first held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in 1960 as a 500-mile race for Australian-made standard production sedans, and marked the 62nd time that the race was held at Mount Panorama. It was the 26th running of the Australian 1000 race, which was first held after the organisational split between the Australian Racing Drivers Club and V8 Supercars Australia that saw two "Bathurst 1000" races contested in both 1997 and 1998.
It was the final time that Holden badged cars would participate in the Bathurst 1000, the brand having made its debut in the 1961 Armstrong 500 event at Phillip Island with a single dealer entry Holden EK Special sedan. General Motors announced to the world in February 2020 of its intention to retire the brand by 2021.[2]
The Top 10 Shootout was cancelled due to inclement weather. It was the first time the Shootout or its predecessor Hardies Heroes was not held since it was introduced in 1978 (in 1988 the Shootout was held but did not count for pole position). As a result, the top ten positions on the grid were determined by the order of the original Friday Qualifying session.[14]
