Brodie Kostecki demonstrated that pole position was not a prerequisite for victory as he stormed to his sixth Supercars win of the season in commanding fashion, taking out the final race of the Townsville 500 by a staggering 9.349 seconds.
Dominant performance at Reid Park Street Circuit
The Dick Johnson Racing driver secured his second career win in Townsville during the 68-lap, 200-kilometre contest at Reid Park Street Circuit on Sunday. Despite missing out on a pole sweep after finishing second in the top-10 shootout earlier in the day, Kostecki's performance was dominant from start to finish.
Having earned pole position for both Friday and Saturday's races, Kostecki had been unable to convert those into victories, leading to visible frustration in post-race press conferences. However, starting second on Sunday proved to be the key, as he powered ahead to claim his sixth win of the season, moving two wins clear as the driver with the most first-place finishes this year.
Championship leader Payne settles for second
Championship leader Matt Payne could not replicate his rousing victory from Saturday, finishing second after holding off a hard-charging pole-sitter Cam Waters, who took third place. Toyota also had a strong outing, with Walkinshaw TWG teammates Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Triple Eight Race Engineering continued a worrying trend, with both drivers failing to reach the podium for the fifth consecutive race—a feat not seen from the team since 2007. Former championship leader Broc Feeney finished sixth, while 2024 champion Will Brown rallied to eighth after a disastrous qualifying session that left him starting from 19th position.
Chaotic start and strategic pit stops
The opening laps of Sunday's race were chaotic, with the safety car deployed after a multi-car crash involving Reuben Goodall, Andre Heimgartner, Aaron Cameron, and Macauley Jones. The latter three were all ruled out of the race. During the commotion, Wood made a daring move to slot in behind pole-sitter Waters, but after the safety car period ended, Kostecki reclaimed second place.
The Dick Johnson Racing star opted for an early pit stop on lap 16, a strategy that paid off handsomely as he later emerged as the leader and cruised to victory. Multiple drivers jostled for the remaining podium positions, with Payne's premature pit stop on lap 43 propelling him into second before Waters edged past Mostert in the final laps to secure third.
Race 22 results
1. Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing)
2. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
3. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)
4. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw TWG Racing)
5. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw TWG Racing)
