Kostecki wins at Sandown and secures an Adelaide final place
Brodie Kostecki won the opening race of the Sandown 500 weekend and became the first driver to secure an Adelaide Grand Final place. He passed Cam Waters for the lead after the final stops and finished ahead of Matt Payne. His ninth win of the season leaves three final places to be decided on Sunday.
Sports··Evening
A ninth win secures Kostecki’s final place
Brodie Kostecki won the opening race of the Sandown 500 weekend in Australia and became the first driver to secure a place in the Adelaide Grand Final of the Supercars touring-car championship. It was his ninth victory of the season. Matt Payne finished second, 5.3 seconds behind, and Cam Waters took third ahead of Chaz Mostert and James Golding. The remaining three Grand Final places will be settled on Sunday, with one point separating Broc Feeney and Waters.[1], [2]
A car fire brings the first stops forward
Payne held the lead from the inside of the front row and stretched his advantage towards four seconds. Aaron Cameron’s Ford then caught fire; he escaped unhurt. The Safety Car arrived on lap 13, prompting the field to make the first of two compulsory pit stops. Payne lost ground through a slow departure from his pit bay. Will Brown took the lead after a shorter fuel fill, and Kostecki also moved ahead of Payne. Racing resumed on lap 20.[1]
Kostecki passes Brown and Waters
Kostecki’s first challenge sent Brown across mud on lap 25, but the decisive pass came at the first corner on lap 36. Brown spun at Turn 4 while trying to reply. Jackson Walls’ trip into gravel on lap 39 brought another Safety Car and the final stops. Kostecki passed Waters on lap 43 to lead; Payne recovered second on lap 65. Mostert later returned third place to Waters to avoid a penalty. Feeney finished 11th as his rear tyres faded, while Brown was classified 20th after a separate 15-second penalty.[1]
