Feeney wins Albert Park finale, Kostecki takes Perkins Trophy

Broc Feeney has taken out the Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint finale, with Brodie Kostecki scooping the series lead and Larry Perkins Trophy.

Red Bull Ampol Chevrolet driver Feeney, who won his first race at last year’s VALO Adelaide 500, led home Andre Heimgartner and Kostecki.

Feeney won from pole, having become the youngest pole-sitter in Supercars history on Saturday.

Shane van Gisbergen and Jack Le Brocq made it a Chevrolet top five, with Will Davison first Ford home in sixth.

Brad Jones Racing driver Bryce Fullwood was in contention for a podium, but was undone by an unsafe release for the second time in as many days.

Fullwood was classified 18th after a 15-second time penalty was applied.

Erstwhile points leader Chaz Mostert was classified 14th, and ceded the lead in the championship to Kostecki.

Mostert’s race also featured a close run-in with Will Brown, who crashed out of contention at Turn 11.

Kostecki — who started 14th for the finale — took home the Perkins Trophy with results of second, first, first and third.

With Kostecki atop the standings, an Erebus Motorsport driver leads the Supercars drivers’ championship for the first time.

Feeney led the field to green after the race started behind the control of the Safety Car.

Mostert, on Super Softs, quickly pounced on Hard-shod Feeney into Turn 5, with Brown following him through.

Feeney stopped at the end of the first green lap and reverted to Super Softs, along with Heimgartner and Kostecki.

Behind them, Anton De Pasquale’s #11 Shell V-Power Ford was released into the path of Cameron Hill, and picked up a 15-second time penalty over an unsafe release.

Brown haunted the rear of Mostert, and put a move on at Turn 11 on lap 4. Mostert returned serve at the next corner, and Brown spun out.

The #9 Coca-Cola Camaro rotated after clipping the astro turf, and the car hit the inside wall.

Fullwood closed on Mostert and made the pass stick for the lead at Turn 1 on lap 8.

The BJR driver was forced to defend at Turn 3, but quickly stretched his legs as Mostert began to drop down the order.

By lap 11, Mostert had dropped from first to ninth — on the following lap, Fullwood, van Gisbergen, Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) and Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Camaro).

Feeney and Heimgartner took over the top two spots ahead of Kostecki, Fullwood and van Gisbergen.

However, Fullwood was pinged for an unsafe release, having been released in front of Mark Winterbottom’s #18 DEWALT Camaro.

Van Gisbergen therefore finished fourth, ahead of Le Brocq, Davison, Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Camaro), David Reynolds (#26 Penrite Mustang), Todd Hazelwood (#3 CoolDrive Mustang), and Cam Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang).

Brown was classified a finisher in 23rd, while Cameron Hill (#35 Truck Assist Camaro) didn’t finish at all after a late lunge on Declan Fraser (#56 TRADIE Mustang) left him buried in the Turn 11 gravel trap.

Kostecki beat van Gisbergen to the Perkins Trophy by five points, with Feeney and Mostert 26 and 77 points behind respectively.

Kostecki leads Mostert by 32 points, with van Gisbergen 86 points down in third.

Heimgartner jumped Brown into fourth, with both drivers 128 and 131 points down respectively.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.