12 crucial moments that set up Supercars title decider

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will be fought by Will Brown and Broc Feeney, with Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters falling out of title contention at a dramatic Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

Brown leads Feeney by 180 points with 300 left to win, with the leader building his margin over a 10-round stretch after taking control at the Grand Prix in March.

All told, Brown has led after 20 of the 22 races this season, has claimed at least one podium finish at every round so far, and is in the box seat to emulate Shane van Gisbergen with a title in his first year with Triple Eight.

Regardless, the pressure will be on at the VAILO Adelaide 500, where for the second year running, the title will be decided. In the lead-up to the November 14-17, we highlight the key moments that set up the Brown/Feeney battle.

Early Bathurst blows

Brown claimed pole for Race 1, but the win fell the way of Feeney, who led the championship for the very first time. Feeney set about hunting a clean sweep with Sunday pole, but a fast-starting Mostert and clash at The Chase on lap 1 with James Golding saw Feeney penalised and consigned to third. Mostert led, but was overhauled by Brown in the lane, the latter taking a nine-point lead over Feeney to the Grand Prix.

The first cracks show

Feeney beat Brown in a pulsating first sprint, before the first cracks began to show at the top when Feeney bowled a wide in the second race, which was won by Brown. That gave Brown an 18-point lead, which was cut back to 12 when Feeney won the third race, before Brown overhauled his teammate in a finale won by Nick Percat. All the while, the Fords began to falter, Waters spectacularly crashing out with Matt Payne, who was dumped from the lead in the finale by Mostert.

Mostert's loose wheel

Hunting Andre Heimgartner in driving rain, Mostert had his first major hiccup when he lost a wheel and was forced into pit lane. On a day Mostert would have slashed the deficit, he instead ended the weekend 196 points behind Brown.

Brown's big statement

Feeney had three wins to Brown's two heading into the Taupō finale, with Brown opening up his lead from 17 to 59 points. Feeney led the way and loomed to get one back, but in one of the battles of the season, Brown reeled his teammate in and overhauled him in the closing laps to land an early statement in the fight for intra-team honours.

Mixed Perth bag

Feeney was 71 points down heading to Perth, where for the first time, he didn't lay a finger on the leaders. Brown finished second and third as Mostert took the chequered flag first in both races, with Feeney fifth and seventh. Brown put 65 points on Feeney, almost doubling his lead in a single weekend.

Feeney bounces back

The response from Feeney was devastating, the then 21-year-old winning both races at Hidden Valley. On a weekend Mostert and Waters struggled with the Super Softs, Feeney powered to 300 points, clawing back 28 on Brown, who finished third and second.

Townsville shock

With 12 podiums in 13 starts, Brown held a 141-point lead over Feeney heading into the Townsville finale, with Mostert 270 behind. After qualifying down the order, Brown tripped over David Reynolds and suffered his first major hiccup, finishing 24th and last after picking up damage. The result? Feeney and Mostert finished seventh and third, cutting their respective deficits to 78 and 174 points.

Sydney slump

Mostert dominated Sydney, winning both races. Like Perth, Triple Eight had to ensure it could bring home points on a weekend of damage limitation. Brown did just that, finishing sixth and third. Feeney, however, wasn't a factor, finishing ninth and 11th, and benching 75 points to Brown across the weekend.

Feeney's Tasmania tangle

Heading into the Tasmania finale, Mostert had closed to 63 points of Brown, with Feeney 120 back. Brown and Feeney muscled by Randle, who cannoned into Feeney at the hairpin. The net result? Brown had opened up a 198-point lead over Feeney heading to the enduros, with Mostert 81 down. The 78-point blowout was Feeney's worst relative to his teammate of the season, and it came at the worst time.

Sandown near-miss

Brown led Feeney in a Sandown 500 one-two finish in an action-packed race, but it nearly came to blows when Feeney bowled a wide coming out of the pits on cold tyres, and rejoining in hairy fashion. Contact was made and Whincup wasn't too pleased, but a one-two on a day Mostert and Waters both slipped up was golden.

Beaten, but importantly, next-best in Bathurst

Brodie Kostecki and Erebus Motorsport were back to their brutal best in a rapid Repco Bathurst 1000, with Triple Eight unable to stop the reigning champs. So, on a day you're not the fastest, it's important to maximise. Time and again, that's been the key to Triple Eight's success, with Feeney and Brown filling the podium. Brown didn't have the pace, but Feeney put in a spirited drive to push Kostecki all the way, proving he was in for the long haul in '24.

Somehow making the most of Mostert's nightmare

Mostert again looked set to fight back into contention after Brown stumbled in Saturday qualifying on the Gold Coast. Brown's shock qualifying crash appeared to be the moment of the season, with Feeney and Mostert both reaching the Shootout. Instead, Mostert suffered heartbreak on both days in situations out of his control, with Feeney claiming two third-place finishes to keep Brown guessing heading to Adelaide.

2024 championship progression