Just when it was looking like none of the title contenders would win Saturday’s 250km race in Adelaide, Broc Feeney stamped his authority to seize the lead, take the win and with it, put one hand on the 2025 Supercars trophy.
The Triple Eight Chevrolet Camaro driver, who started from pole for a record-setting 18th time this season, looked to be on his way to second place, as the Walkinshaw Andretti United Ford Mustang of Ryan Wood controlled the 78-lap race from the front.
But with a third of the race remaining and immediately after the title contenders made their second pit stops on consecutive laps, Feeney closed on Wood and dived down his inside. In spite of an intermittent engine misfire, and a counter-attack from Wood, Feeney immediately built a small gap and went on to win.
“That was a tough one. I had a lot of adversity to overcome, I had quite a few issues early on,” said Feeney. “I thought I was done, to be honest. It felt like my engine was going to blow at any moment, I feared for the worst.”
In a race in which the four drivers in title contention finished in the top five places, Chaz Mostert took second place, aided by team-mate Wood backing off and allowing him to take second at the final corner, after being 12 seconds back with four laps to go.
Mostert started 12th and survived a laundry list of scares on the way to second. On lap 9, he took to the grass on the pit straight to avoid Thomas Randle’s Tickford Ford, having already had a warning for short-cutting the Senna Chicane.
Then he hit a tyre bundle not once but twice – before making side-to-side contact with Austin Cindric, while he was lapping the NASCAR regular and Supercars wildcard.
“I drove like a demon, the pit stops gave me an amazing strategy,” said Mostert, who shrugged off the clash with Randle.
“I hit a bit of oil or a white line, or something. Chaz’s Lawn Mowing Service was really going!”
Wood, who commendably carried the company line by describing his late-race slow down as “extreme fuel saving”, was third ahead of a huge fight between the other finalists, Will Brown and Kai Allen. They made contact with three laps to run but the Triple Eight Chevrolet driver held off Allen’s Grove Racing Ford. Allen, who qualified second, dropped to eighth on the grid when his car struck engine problems during his top 10 shoot out lap.
Ironically, Brown had his best qualifying result, fifth, in some time, but had to follow Feeney for much of the race – prompting the Triple Eight team to prioritise Feeney in pit strategy. In the final third of the race, Brown simply lacked the speed of his opponents, dropping a place to Mostert.
The other commendable effort came from rookie Aaron Cameron. After qualifying second, the Blanchard Racing Team driver took an early lead before ceding to Wood, and then retiring after hitting the Turn 3 concrete.
Apart from the clash with Mostert, Cindric had a mostly clean race and was the final finisher, taking 23rd place in his Tickford Racing Ford.
With his win, the 13-point lead Feeney carried into the race has grown to 23. He leads on 5214 from Mostert on 5191, ahead of Brown on 5138 and Allen on 5126.
The Supercars and drivers will return to the circuit on Sunday at 10:00am for qualifying for the 34th and final race of the season. The top 10 shoot out is scheduled for 12:35pm, with the 78-lap race, with 125 points on offer for the winner, is set for 3:15pm (all times are Australian Central Daylight Saving Time).
Supercars Adelaide – Race 1 results
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
– The Autosport.com Team
