Supercars Sandown: Sunday win sets up Matt Payne for title challenge
Matt Payne has taken his sixth Supercars win of the season and cemented his points lead with an all-the-way – but in the end, narrow – win at Sandown Park in Melbourne. Payne put his Grove Racing Ford Mustang on pole for the second day in a row and beat Anton De Pasquale, who started alongside in the Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro, to the first corner. From there, Payne had the pace to build a ... Keep…
Matt Payne secured his sixth victory of the season and tightened his grip on the Supercars championship lead with a hard-fought win at Sandown Park. The Grove Racing Ford Mustang took pole position for the second consecutive race and edged out Anton De Pasquale, who started alongside in the Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro. Payne maintained his lead until the final laps, when De Pasquale closed in, but Payne held on by just 0.7 seconds.
De Pasquale, however, was not the only disappointed runner-up. Brodie Kostecki, who had secured his spot in the Final Four with Saturday's victory, incurred a penalty for technical rule violations and dropped to 23rd place, a significant setback from his initial position.
Cooper Murray, who switched teams from Erebus Motorsport to PremiAir Racing, also had a podium finish, starting third and finishing third in his first top-three result. Meanwhile, Broc Feeney narrowly missed out on a podium place, finishing fourth in his Triple Eight Ford.
The victory for the top three drivers means that they will vie for the Drivers' title at the Adelaide round, with Payne, Feeney, and Kostecki all aiming to claim victory against Toyota driver Brodie Kostecki, who secured his place in the Final Four despite a penalty for technical rule violations in the previous race.
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