A full field of brand new Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros will contest two 250-kilometre races on the Newcastle street circuit.
The technical change is the biggest in the 30-year history of the V8 ruleset. For the first time since 1992 the cars aren't based on four-door sedans, with the new control chassis designed specifically for two-door models.
The five-litre pushrod engines are gone as well, with new production-based V8 units from Ford (5.4-litre Coyote) and GM (5.7-litre LTR).
The new cars feature a drastic reduction in aero compared to their Gen2 predecessors as well as being lighter by 65 kilograms and wider, with increased mechanical grip.
It hasn't been the smoothest of lead ins to the introduction of Gen3 with design, development and production delays meaning teams only got their cars on track last month.
There's been a parity saga to complicate issues even more with last-ditch aero testing last week yielding a change to the Camaros on the eve of Newcastle.
The good news is that the new rules are tipped to shake up the pecking order.
The last time there was a major technical change, the introduction of Car of the Future in 2013, there were 13 different race winners from eight different teams.
There was little to learn from pre-season testing with the Gen3 cars given minimum weights had yet to be set.
Some GM teams also cast doubt over the motivation of the Ford teams to perform at the single all-in test in Sydney given the parity negotiations that were ongoing at the time.
As a result there's no real form guide heading to Newcastle, giving teams a shot at running down Shane van Gisbergen and Triple Eight, the form combo from the past two Supercars seasons.
The Newcastle weekend will kick off with three 45-minute practice sessions on Friday.
Saturday and Sunday then follow the same format with a qualifying session, a Top 10 Shootout and a 250-kilometre race.
The soft compound Dunlop control tyre will be in action across the Newcastle weekend, with each car required to do two stops, for at least two tyres, in each race.
The refuelling rules have been tweaked for the Gen3 era with slower fill times from the new single-probe fillers offset by a reduction in the fuel drop from 140 to 100 litres.
2023 Supercars Newcastle 500 session times
All times local (GMT+11)
Friday March 10
9:05-9:25 Touring Car Masters – Practice
9:35-9:55 Aussie Racing Cars – Practice 1
10:10-11:00 Super2/Super3 – Practice 1
11:15-12:00 Supercars – Practice 1
12:20-12:40 Touring Car Masters – Qualifying
12:50-13:30 Super2/Super3 – Practice 2
13:45-14:30 Supercars – Practice 2
14:45-15:05 Aussie Racing Cars – Practice 2
15:15-15:35 Touring Car Masters – Trophy Race
15:50-16:35 Supercars – Practice 3
Saturday March 11
9:15-9:35 Touring Car Masters – Race 1
9:55-10:10 Aussie Racing Cars – Qualifying
10:25-10:35 Super3 – Qualifying (Race 1)
10:45-10:55 Super2 – Qualifying (Race 2)
11:15-11:35 Supercars – Qualifying
12:00-12:20 Touring Car Masters – Race 2
12:35-13:00 Supercars – Top 10 Shootout
13:15-13:35 Aussie Racing Cars – Race 1
13:50-14:20 Super2/Super3 – Race 1
15:20-17:18 Supercars – Race
Sunday March 12
9:15-9:35 Aussie Racing Cars – Race 2
10:25-10:35 Super3 – Qualifying (Race 2)
10:45-10:55 Super2 – Qualifying (Race 2)
11:15-11:35 Supercars – Qualifying
12:00-12:20 Aussie Racing Cars – Race 3
12:35-13:00 Supercars – Top 10 Shootout
13:15-13:35 Touring Car Masters – Race 3
13:50-14:20 Super2/Super3 – Race 2
15:20-17:18 Supercars – Race
