Kelly has signed with Channel Ten to provide expert analysis when he is not behind the wheel of his Nissan Altima racer at the six main V8 Supercars races to be shown live by the broadcaster.

To delineate his roles, the co-owner/driver of the factory-backed Nissan Motorsport team will change out of his racing suit into street clothes when he joins Network Ten's commentary team in the trackside studio.

Kelly – V8 champion in 2006 and co-winner of the '03-04 Bathurst 1000s – will begin his quick-change routine at the season-opening Adelaide 500 from February 27 to March 1, adding his insights as an active driver during Ten's coverage before and after each track session.

He will also perform dual duties at the Townsville 400 in July, Sandown 500 in September, October's Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600, and the season-ending Sydney 500 in early December.

The three-race Adelaide 500 is the first event of V8's new $241 million six-year split broadcast rights.

Pay TV network Fox Sports is showing all 14 events live, with the six marquee meetings simulcast free to air on Channel Ten, which will screen delayed highlights of the remaining eight.

While Fox Sports and Network Ten are sharing qualifying and race commentary, provided by V8 Supercars' broadcast production unit, they are adding their own presenters and experts to their coverage away from the track action.

When he is not out on the track in his Altima V8 racer, Kelly will be alongside host Matt White during Ten's live telecasts, commenting on his rivals' performances.

Ten's other regular expert is popular pit lane analyst and ex-V8 driver/team owner Mark Larkham, who has a large following because his entertaining "Mr Squiggle" whiteboard explanations of pit stop strategies and technical trends.

They will be joined in the studio at Adelaide and Bathurst by former F1 star Mark Webber, who will also be on the network's panel of experts during its host coverage of next month's Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

Webber will be otherwise occupied by his second season with Porsche in the world sports car championship, including a bid for victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance classic.

Kelly's involvement in Ten's V8 telecasts is ground-breaking for an active competitor because of the amount of time he will dedicate to the task.

That he won't be appearing on camera in his sponsor billboard-like racing suit is also a departure.

Kelly has committed to being available to Channel Ten any time during the weekends when he is not in his race car or conferring with his engineers before and after qualifying and racing - plus practice sessions during the network's three-day telecasts at Adelaide and Bathurst.

Rather than making him busier, he expects his frequent change of uniform to Ten-branded "civvies" to reduce his workload.

Mildura-born, Melbourne-based Kelly, 32, co-owns the four-car Nissan Motorsport team with his elder brother and fellow V8 driver Todd and would usually have a hectic schedule of sponsor and promotional appearances at major events.

But by agreement with his team's backers, including Nissan, he will forgo team meet-and-greets to concentrate on his TV work.

"In fact, I'll have less to do because normally, when I'm not in the car or with the engineers, I'm rushing around doing sponsor appearances," Kelly said. "At the six big events, I'll have just two things to concentrate on – being in the car and at the commentary desk. It's going to simplify my schedule.

"The opportunity with Ten far outweighs the other things I was doing. Our partners are all on board with this. I'm really excited."

Not wearing his heavily branded race suit on camera is a deliberate move to give him more credibility with the viewing audience.

"It's important I bring everything I can [opinion-wise] to the table," he said. "I'll be in a unique position, bringing to life some of the complexities of V8 Supercar racing.

"I'll be conveying my broad knowledge of what's happening during a race weekend. I want to bring that to life for the viewers."

While he is taking his new broadcasting role very seriously, Kelly's main focus will be on turning his Nissan Altima into a consistent contender.

Since its return with the Kellys in 2013, Nissan has won just one race and finished on the podium on only a handful of occasions.

A new aerodynamic package - the third for the Altima in as many years - showed promise of improved performance at last weekend's pre-season SuperTest at Sydney Motorsport Park, with Rick fastest in two of the four sessions and Todd quickest in another, while teammates Michael Caruso and James Moffat were also among the front-runners.

Although SMP was already one of Nissan's stronger tracks, Kelly was encouraged by the improved performance of the Altima's new low-drag rear wing.

"It's worth a few positions on the grid because the category is so competitive,"

Kelly said. "You can't really feel the difference in the car, but you can see it on the lock. A small difference in lap times makes a big difference in where you qualify.

"I think we're showing signs of a step forward."

Despite losing the sponsor of Moffat's and Caruso's Altimas, and with long-time Kellys supporter Jack Daniel's reducing its backing to one car for Rick, the team has been boosted by a reported $1 million increase in Nissan's support.

Caruso's car will run in the colours of Nissan's performance car and racing division NISMO, while Moffat's entry has a new sponsor that will be unveiled just before the Adelaide 500.

Commercial backing is also understood to have been secured for Todd Kelly's car, which ran at the SuperTest in stop-gap Nissan GT Academy livery.