Broc Feeney’s agonising wait for a Gold Coast 500 victory is over, after he blitzed a drama-filled final Supercars race at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.
But while Feeney notched a deserved victory, the big story was in the minor placings with a controversial move between teammates Chaz Mostert and Ryan Mood backfiring.
Feeney finished 6.9098 seconds ahead of the hard-chasing Brodie Kostecki in the 85-lap 250km race on Sunday.
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The pole-sitter executed his plan to perfection, amid rain threatening to overshadow the occasion, to secure his first victory at his hometown grid after finishing second in both races last year.
By claiming the elusive victory, the 24-year-old also guaranteed his place in the penultimate round of the Supercars finals series at Sandown in Melbourne.
While Feeney was experiencing pure elation, Matt Stone Racing’s Jack Le Brocq and Grove Racing’s Kai Allen were left in utter misery as their hopes of winning the championship were dashed.
Only seven drivers were able to remain in the running for the title after Sunday’s race, with the bottom three drivers in the top-10 rankings who failed to win one of the two Gold Coast races eliminated.
Allen and Le Brocq were ranked eighth and 10th going into the race but faced an uphill battle as they began 22nd and 20th on the grid.
Le Brocq’s afternoon worsened when he was forced to pit stop early, along with Anton De Pasquale when his tyres were punctured following a collision.
But perhaps Walkinshaw TWG driver Ryan Wood will be more devastated after he started the day ranked ninth and needed a big result to keep his championship hopes alive.
Wood appeared set to claim a spot in the Sandown finale after Walkinshaw TWG Racing ordered Chaz Mostert to drop back and allow his teammate to move up to third place.
That move denied Mostert the chance of a fourth-straight victory on the Gold Coast, but gave Wood the chance to qualify for the Sandown.
Mostert appeared to be unhappy by the orders during the race with team radio picking up the awkward exchange.
Team: “Let’s keep it calm, let’s start dropping back.”
Mostert: “You want me to come back again now? Are you sure?”
Team: “Drop it back it now! 10 seconds, he’s under pressure from [Andre] Heimgartner.”
But the move ended up backfiring with seventh-ranked De Pasquale rebounding from an early collision to seal his spot in the semi-finals.
With Wood’s hopes dashed, Mostert overtook him on the final lap to seal the final spot on the podium.
De Pasquale cleverly worked himself around his rivals to end the race in 14th, avoiding more heartbreak after he lost the Bathurst 1000 on the last lap because he ran out of fuel.
RACE 32 RESULTS:
1. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Race Engineering)
2. Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing)
3. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw TWG)
4. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw TWG Racing)
5. Andre Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
2. Broc Feeney (Triple Eight)
3. Brodie Kostecki (DJR)
4. Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw TWG Racing)
5. Will Brown (Triple Eight)
6. Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)
7. Anton De Pasquale (Team 18)
8. Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw TWG)
9. Kai Allen (Grove)
10. Jack Le Brocq (Matt Stone Racing)
— With 7NEWS
