It was a race of strategy as Matt Payne clocked up another victory in his Repco Supercars Championship career in Townsville.
The Penrite Racing driver completed a three-stop strategy to take the victory and lead a Ford 1-2-3 as Cam Waters took second for Monster Castrol Racing and Optus Mobil 1 Racing with Chaz Mostert secured the final podium slot.
Erebus Motorsport’s Jack Le Brocq took pole, but made a slow start as Waters led teammate Thomas Randle and Shell V-Power Racing Team’s Will Davison into Turn 2.
Behind, championship leader Will Brown started 17th and the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver tangled with TRADIE Racing’s David Reynolds approaching Turn 3. Brown found the wall and pitted for repairs, dropping a lap to finish last.
Key title rival and Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Broc Feeney almost found trouble at the exit at Turn 3 when Anton De Pasquale ran wide pushing the Camaro into the outside tyre wall, but it was just a glance.
The biggest mover was James Courtney as he sent the Snowy River Racing Mustang down the inside at Turn 2 where he climbed to fifth, though he was joined by Mostert as he moved to second by lap 13 from sixth on the grid.
Rain threatened to fall, but this didn’t occur as Payne entered pit lane on lap 19 when spits began to hit the circuit and Supercars officials declared the track wet.
Mostert came in four laps later and a cross-threaded wheel nut during his stop failed to stop his charge as he emerged effective second.
Waters came in on lap 31 along with Davison, but the Tickford driver emerged in traffic hampering his strategy.
Stopping on lap 41, Mostert was released in traffic as was Payne when he exited the lane a circuit later, while Waters was behind leader Le Brocq though got passed at Turn 2.
Payne was closing on the leader as he passed Randle and Le Brocq pitted with a 2.4s gap to Waters before he pitted on lap 60 allowing the Penrite Racing Mustang into first.
Payne and Mostert stopped for the third time on lap 62, with the New Zealander 7s ahead of Waters. Mostert on the other hand filed out behind Waters and pressured his former teammate to the line.
It was Payne scoring his second win of his career from Waters, Mostert, Le Brocq, Randle, Mobil 1 Truck Assist Racing’s Ryan Wood, Feeney, Mark Winterbottom for DEWALT Racing, Team PPQ’s Cameron Hill and James Golding in the lead PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro.
The title equation has closed up significantly as Brown now leads Feeney by 78-points heading to the Sydney SuperNight on July 19-21.