Fab Fords: Mustang’s 10 best wins
Introduced into the championship in 2019, the Ford Mustang GT has had an enjoyable start to life in Supercars competition.
The Mustang is undefeated in championship terms, with Scott McLaughlin and Shell V-Power Racing sweeping the drivers' and teams' crowns in 2019 and 2020.
The model has recorded 37 race victories in 59 starts since its debut on the streets of Adelaide, where McLaughlin took both wins in 2019.
With a win rate of 63 per cent, the Mustang has become one of the most formidable and most successful models in ATCC/Supercars history.
Ahead of the Mustang GT on the winners' list are the Commodore VF (108), Commodore VE/VE II (103), Commodore VT (63), Falcon FG (55), Falcon BA (51), Commodore VX and Falcon FG X (45), Commodore ZB (40), Falcon BF (39) and Commodore VZ (37).
Across its two-year stint, the Mustang has locked out three race podiums, all in 2019; Races 3 and 4 at Albert Park, Race 11 in Perth, and Race 22 at The Bend.
In 2022, the Mustang will be challenged by the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 amid the new Gen3 regulations, with the upcoming season the last for Holden.
Ahead of the third year of Mustang, Supercars.com lists the iconic model's 10 best wins in the category.
2019 Adelaide, Race 1: Mustang's first win
In searing heat, Scott McLaughlin scored the historic first win for the Mustang on the streets of Adelaide.
McLaughlin was untouchable, with Triple Eight pair Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen over 12 seconds behind.
It was the perfect start for the Mustang, and the first win by the model in the Australian Touring Car Championship in 46 years.
2019 Albert Park, Race 5: Mostert wins after bizarre clash
A bizarre out lap collision between front row starters Scott McLaughlin and Cameron Waters opened the door to a Chaz Mostert victory at Albert Park.
It was Mostert's only Mustang win before he shifted to Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2020.
It ended McLaughlin's four-win streak to open 2019, with Mostert later taking round honours and the Larry Perkins Trophy.
2019 Perth, Race 11: Coulthard's Friday night lights
After a win at Phillip Island, Fabian Coulthard raced to a second straight victory, this time under lights in Perth.
A poor getaway from pole for Scott McLaughlin opened the door to the other Shell Mustang, with Mostert making it an all-Mustang podium following a bold move on Jamie Whincup.
A "pumped" Coulthard said: "It's awesome to win in the dark, all the good s**t happens after dark."
2019 Winton, Race 13: Shell Fords clash
The tables turned dramatically at Winton, with the two Shell Mustangs coming to blows on the opening lap.
Both cars ended up in the weeds after Fabian Coulthard hit Scott McLaughlin, with the former slapped with a 15-second hold penalty during his compulsory pit stop.
Incredibly, McLaughlin won the race, benefiting from an incident between David Reynolds and James Courtney.
The Kiwi led home Chaz Mostert and Reynolds, with McLaughlin extending his championship lead to 232 points.
2019 Darwin, Race 16: Elusive triple crown secured
The Darwin Triple Crown had gone unclaimed through the first 13 years.
In 2019, Scott McLaughlin became the first to tame Hidden Valley.
Introduced in 2006 under a three-race format, the Triple Crown currently represents winning both races and topping Sunday's Top 10 Shootout.
McLaughlin ticked it off, crossing the line nearly 14 seconds seconds ahead of David Reynolds, with Fabian Coulthard third.
2019 Ipswich, Race 20: McLaughlin defies SVG
Scott McLaughlin continued his march towards back-to-back Supercars titles with a brilliant Sunday victory at Queensland Raceway.
He led the entire 65-lap race outside the two pitstop cycles, but a racy Shane van Gisbergen made him work for it at the end.
Van Gisbergen was just 0.7s adrift after a breathtaking final stint, with McLaughlin helping Ford secure the 2019 Supercars Manufacturers' title, which is based on total race wins through the season.
It came at a cost, though, with McLaughlin fined after he performed a burnout from the final corner and along the pit straight, before taking a poster onto the podium.
2019 Bathurst Race 25: McLaughlin/Premat's controversial win
After six hours and 27 minutes of tension, the Mustang's most significant win to date was settled by just 0.68s.
In an unforgettable Great Race, Scott McLaughlin defied a charging Shane van Gisbergen with a final green lap following a late Safety Car.
It was the first Bathurst win for Team Penske, and the first for Dick Johnson Racing in 25 years.
However, the race will be remembered for the late drama involving Fabian Coulthard, who slowed the field with 26 laps to go to give team-mate McLaughlin and Jamie Whincup space to make their pit stops.
Then-seventh-placed van Gisbergen had a fuel advantage over the leading duo and would likely have jumped both leaders after the stops. Shortly after, Coulthard was slapped with a drive-through penalty.
Whincup needed a late Safety Car to work around his fuel situation, but he was forced in and missed the podium altogether as McLaughlin saved enough fuel to stay out and win.
2020 Sydney, Race 12: Le Brocq's maiden win
A remarkable race at Sydney Motorsport Park saw Jack Le Brocq become a Supercars race winner after a four-way fight for victory.
Le Brocq defied Andre Heimgartner, who was second from a maiden pole position, with Todd Hazelwood claiming a maiden podium by passing David Reynolds on the final lap.
The Tickford driver started the race from seventh and wn by 0.6s, ending his 85-race wait for victory.
2020 The Bend, Race 25: Coulthard's Tailem Bend stunner
Fabian Coulthard marked his 200th round start with victory at The Bend, with title rivals Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin clashing on the opening lap.
Fifth-placed starter Coulthard defeated Jack Le Brocq by half a second in an enthralling late-race battle, with rookie Bryce Fullwood completing an unlikely podium.
It ended a 41-race winless streak for Coulthard, with Whincup penalised over the McLaughlin incident.
However, the championship leader was also slapped with a 15-second time penalty for a lap 22 clash with Lee Holdsworth while fighting for fourth.
2020 The Bend, Race 30: Waters' solo breakthrough
The Mustang's most recent victory came in the penultimate race of the 2020 season, with Cameron Waters claiming his maiden solo race win.
It came exactly three years to the day since his maiden win, which came in the 2017 edition of the Sandown 500, which he won with Richie Stanaway.
It was Waters' first win in 2020 after seven previous trips to the podium, and his first win in 1106 days.
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