Feeney’s victory in Race 16 marked his second win of the weekend and further solidified his position at the top of the championship. But while the final result looked calm and composed on paper, the path to the chequered flag was anything but.
Sunday also carried historical significance, as Race 16 marked the 100th Supercars Championship race at CARCO.com.au Raceway – the first track in Supercars history to reach the triple-figure milestone. The moment was acknowledged throughout the paddock, with fans and teams reflecting on the long-standing connection between Wanneroo and top-tier touring car racing.
The day began with a statement from Triple Eight. Feeney topped qualifying and went on to produce a near-perfect lap in the Top Ten Shootout to secure pole by over two-tenths. The team barely touched the car from Saturday, and it paid off handsomely.
From the outset of the 83-lap race, Feeney looked in control. A sharp launch off the line and early pace allowed him to build a cushion over the field. But that advantage was wiped out by a mid-race Safety Car, which reshuffled the order and threatened to derail the #88’s race.
“At that point, I thought our race was over,” Feeney admitted. “But I got a good restart, held position, and we had enough to get it done.”
Behind him, chaos reigned.
PremiAir Racing looked to have turned a corner. Jimmy Golding had qualified 10th and moved to P6 in the Shootout, running solidly in the top five for much of the race. But his race unravelled late when he and WAU’s Ryan Wood made contact through Turns 1 to 4. The incident snapped the steering on Golding’s car, sending both drivers off the circuit. Golding was handed a drive-through penalty and limped home in 22nd.
“It was hard, fair racing until the contact. It broke my steering and that was that,” Golding said. “Gutted for the crew, because the car was fast. But that’s racing.”
Stanaway, meanwhile, had a more subdued run. Starting 19th after just missing out on Part 2 of qualifying, he climbed to P14 by the flag despite time lost in the pit lane. While the result wasn’t what the team had hoped for, both cars showed far more pace than earlier in the weekend, which the squad sees as a major positive heading into Darwin.
Team 18 enjoyed a stronger Sunday showing, with David Reynolds charging to seventh after starting fifth from the Shootout. He had provisionally qualified second, marking a big turnaround after Saturday’s struggles. “My car was making grip instead of losing grip,” Reynolds said. “It was a huge uplift.”
Anton De Pasquale looked set for a top-ten run as well before his DEWALT Camaro suffered a voltage issue post-pit stop, forcing him to limp home in 18th. “We were sitting pretty good… but the car broke down. Proud of everyone for digging deep,” he said.
Elsewhere, Brad Jones Racing turned heads with a gutsy performance from deep in the field. After a messy qualifying session left three of their four drivers outside the top 20, Jaxon Evans, Macauley Jones and Andre Heimgartner all stormed forward in the race.
Heimgartner’s drive from 24th to 10th was one of the performances of the day, while Evans also impressed to finish 12th. Jones followed him home in 13th, capping off a gritty display for the Albury-based team.
“It was like an out-of-body experience, passing cars like that,” Heimgartner said. “We had pace, nailed the stops, and stayed clean. Can’t ask for much more.”
Bryce Fullwood had earlier put his #14 Camaro into the Shootout with a strong fifth in qualifying and started all three races from ninth. But a lock-up on Lap 45 sent him into the runoff, collecting debris that forced an extended stop. His weekend ended with an unrepresentative 21st-place finish.
“We had pace this weekend, no doubt,” Fullwood said. “Just made a mistake when it counted. But the signs are good heading into Darwin.”
For Walkinshaw Andretti United, it was a mixed bag. Chaz Mostert couldn’t replicate Saturday’s double podium form and had to settle for sixth, while Ryan Wood’s late-race tangle with Golding robbed him of another top five finish.
Feeney now heads to the Darwin Triple Crown with a firm grip on both the Supercars Championship and the Sprint Cup standings, but the field behind him is packed with contenders finding form. And with the Indigenous Round up next, expect new liveries, new storylines, and another twist in an already compelling season.
