Stanaway wins chaotic Charlotte All Stars Eseries race

Richie Stanway has taken the All Stars victory at Charlotte in a dramatic Cash Converters Supercars Eseries opener.

Stanaway, who will return in an Erebus Motorsport wildcard at November's Repco Bathurst 1000, benefited from final-lap accident which saw leader Anton De Pasquale taken out of contention.

Brodie Kostecki pipped Stanaway to Swyftx Pole Position, but it was Stanaway who stole the lead on the opening lap.

An incident between Matt McLean and Andre Heimgartner saw the former make contact with Dylan O'Keeffe.

McLean's exit from pit lane bunched the lead pack, with Kostecki regaining the lead.

Chaz Mostert scythed into second, but a slide dropped him behind Stanaway and Anton De Pasquale.

Tickford Racing duo Cameron Waters and Jack Le Brocq made it a battle pack of six, before they were joined by Justin Ruggier and James Golding.

Stanaway challenged Kostecki for the lead, with De Pasquale and Mostert disputing third.

Mostert stopped on lap 16, just as the BP Ultimate Safety Car was deployed.

At the time of the competition caution, Kostecki led Stanaway and De Pasquale.

Waters, Le Brocq, Golding, Ruggier, Thomas Randle, Jayden Ojeda and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10.

Kostecki dropped out of the fight after he was penalised for speeding in pit lane.

When the race restarted at the end of lap 18, Mostert was 14th and first of cars to have pitted, and eyed a second Walkinshaw Andretti United win of the day.

However, Mostert was left wedged on the pit attenuator after Ojeda crashed in front of him.

The bizarre pit cycle left Jake Kostecki and Matt Chahda with a lap on the field.

Contact with McLean saw Kostecki drop behind Chahda, but they both made contact later in the lap.

The resultant crash saw Kostecki spin in front of the field, and the Matt Stone Racing car was collected. Chahda, meanwhile, spun to the infield.

De Pasquale and Waters emerged in the fight for victory, with O'Keeffe and Stanaway behind.

The two Ford drivers fought through traffic, with the margin just 0.2s into the final two laps.

As the final lap commenced, De Pasquale collided with Chahda, who was attempting to get his lap back.

The #11 Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustang was tipped into the air, as was Chahda, with Waters also caught up.

It cleared the path for a shock Stanaway victory, with Matthew Payne second ahead of Waters and Piastri.

Jake Kostecki recovered to fourth ahead of De Pasquale, with O'Keeffe, Brodie Kostecki, Le Brocq and Randle rounding out the top 10.

"It was a pretty interesting race," Stanaway said.

"It's hard to know what to do with the strategy, with that competition caution and not being able to pit.

"Luckily I got some time back at the end there with those lapped cars getting in the way.

"It was pretty crazy, but it was good fun."

The All Stars competitors will return next Wednesday for the second round at Pocono.