A superior pit strategy has elevated Red Bull Ampol Racing pair Broc Feeney and Will Brown to a 1-2 finish in Race 23 of the Repco Supercars Championship season at the VAILO Adelaide 500, giving the Toowoomba-based driver the title.
Feeney emerged from the opening stint of pit stops in the lead after undercutting both Castrol Monster Racing Ford Mustangs, with Brown doing likewise in the second sequence.
The news prior to the start was Richie Stanaway being ruled out due to concussion. Kai Allen was originally set to take the seat, but Super2 team Eggleston Motorsport vetoed the move as Penrite Racing’s endurance driver Dale Wood was drafted in.
It was Thomas Randle leading the way at the start after pole-sitter and teammate Cam Waters was slow away.
Feeney moved ahead of Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne on lap 4, but any advance the championship pursuer made was matched by Brown.
Randle led the way throughout the opening stint until the first pit stop sequence when the Red Bull Ampol Racing squad elected to pit Feeney on lap 26 and short-fill elevating him into the lead.
Randle was in the next lap with Brown, while Waters and Payne followed after another circuit as Feeney held the ascendency.
Fill-in Wood nearly beached his Mustang at Turn 5, but was able to reverse out enabling the race to continue under green conditions for the entire duration.
Castrol Monster Racing was forced to make a tough condition just after the halfway mark when Waters caught Randle, but the two switched positions on lap 46.
Pace for both Red Bull Ampol Racing Camaros as demonstrated when Feeney requiring a longer fuel stop was still able to pop out ahead of Waters after his second service.
Brown had work to do following his second and final stop as he emerged fourth. First target was Randle, but Brown disposed of the Castrol Monster Racing Mustang at Turn 9 on lap 57 before nine laps later completing the pass for second on Waters at Turn 6.
Feeney by now had a large lead and Brown had done more than enough to win the title, so a Red Bull Ampol Racing clean-sweep at the top was inevitable.
Randle dropped back to fifth, while Payne attacked Waters for the final podium place unsuccessfully.
Behind the top five, Erebus Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki, Andre Heimgartner’s R&J Batteries Racing Camaro, Snowy River Racing driver James Courtney, Shell V-Power Racing Team’s Anton De Pasquale and rookie Ryan Wood in the Mobil 1 Truck Assist Racing Mustang completed the top 10.
David Reynolds struggled with engine troubles in the re-built TRADIE Beer Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
Sunday is a busy schedule for the Repco Supercars Championship starting with qualifying for Race 24 at 10:20am local time.