Chaz Mostert has secured his first Supercars championship after a dramatic final race in Adelaide. The Walkinshaw Andretti United driver finished second to Matt Payne in the 250-kilometre decider, enough to claim the title in the series' inaugural grand final format.
Mostert's victory was aided by a first-lap spin from rival Broc Feeney, who had led the championship since round four. Feeney, who started from pole, finished 20th after the incident and later suffered a misfiring engine. The 23-year-old Triple Eight driver ended his career-best season of 14 race wins and a record 19 pole positions in tears.
Mostert becomes the 28th driver to win Australia's premier touring car category, which began in 1960. He delivered Ford its first Supercars title since Scott McLaughlin's triumph in 2020, ahead of WAU's switch to Toyota next year. The 33-year-old had previously finished third in the championship on three occasions.
In the race, defending champion Will Brown finished third, followed by grand finalist Kai Allen in fourth. Mostert's teammate Ryan Wood received a 15-second penalty for tagging Feeney's car, which Triple Eight team principal Jamie Whincup described as a 'pretty grubby' move. Wood finished 24th after struggling with a front-right issue.
Mostert, who had only one race win before the finals, swept the Gold Coast 500 and won the Sandown 500 to surge up the order. He overcame a qualifying car failure to finish second in Saturday's race, carving through the grid from 12th. 'I've been racing for so many years. You start to doubt it year after year,' Mostert said. 'Thank God for finals series, hey?'
