Analysis: How did Brown pull off staggering spin and win?

One day, when Will Brown is old and grey, he may fondly look back on Race 24 at the 2024 VAILO Adelaide 500 as one of, if not his finest victory.

In one of the great Supercars comebacks, Brown recovered from 22nd on lap 9 after a spin to win the final race of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, crowning his maiden title triumph.

In the race, across the 23 cars, there were only 15 laps timed 1:20.3s or faster. Brown clocked five of them, Chaz Mostert five, and Broc Feeney four. They were the clear benchmarks, so it's ultimately no surprise they were where they were at the end. Brown was the quickest, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 55, a 1:20.1915s.

All told, Feeney took out Mostert despite carrying a penalty, but that was on lap 62. Some 53 laps earlier, Brown was pointing the wrong way, and seemed set to end his title-winning year with a whimper.

So, how did the champion fight back and pull off Supercars' latest 'spin and win' miracle?

The start, and the spin

Mostert and Feeney disputed the lead through the Senna Chicane with such vigour that Triple Eight requested the skirmish be investigated. Brown, behind them, put Thomas Randle behind him.

Mostert hung Feeney out on lap 9, and Brown got into the fight through Turn 5. At Turn 6, Brown checked up, but was sent into a spin by former teammate Brodie Kostecki. The train went past, and Brown dropped to 22nd, with Matt Payne already laps down after his early crash.

The fightback

Brown climbed two positions after Tim Slade and Cooper Murray were punted off by Mark Winterbottom and Cam Waters respectively. 22nd became 20th, which became 17th by lap 16 as he passed Cameron Hill, stand-in rookie Kai Allen, Aaron Love and Macauley Jones.

Another pass on Ryan Wood and a pit stop for James Golding continued the rise, with David Reynolds, Bryce Fullwood, James Courtney, Will Davison, Nick Percat, Feeney and Randle all stopping between lap 21 and 25. By then, Brown was seventh.

He fell back into the midfield after his first stop, but gained more spots as Hill, Winterbottom and Kostecki stopped.

The charge

In the middle stint, Brown went on a tear. He passed Fullwood, Golding, Heimgartner and Reynolds, and was up to sixth. When Randle and Percat pitted for a second time on lap 48, he was up to fourth.

After his second stop, Brown was a net sixth. Only Mostert, Feeney, Davison, Randle and Percat were ahead. Brown picked off Percat on lap 55, Randle on lap 56, and Davison on lap 58. He put his pace to work when it mattered, setting the fastest lap in the process.

On lap 59, he was third, where he sat 50 laps earlier before being tipped out by Kostecki.

The defining moment

Feeney had been hit with a penalty, but shadowed Mostert. Mostert was told, but didn't have mirrors, and fought back. On lap 62, Feeney made an ill-fated move and sent Mostert into the Turn 6 barriers. Feeney pressed on, but was hit with another 15-second penalty. Mostert had damage, and Brown was charging. It seemed a formality.

On lap 66, Brown cruised past Mostert, and ultimately put nine seconds on his Ford rival, who held off Randle, Davison and Percat for second place. Feeney took the chequered flag, but Brown was the winner.

The reaction

To many, it was shock. To those at Triple Eight, especially engineer Andrew Edwards, it was business as usual. Brown still needed a moment to let the win, his fifth of the season sink in.

"I feel like a bit more of a champion after that drive, that was awesome," he said.

"I can't believe we got turned around, I probably turned in on Brodie there, and I thought that was our day done, so we'll go out and have some fun. I never thought we were going to win there."

But he still did, and that's why he's the champion.

Will Brown in Race 24: Lap-by-lap chart

*Reclassified first after Broc Feeney time penalties applied