Lowndes leads from the front
After qualifying on ARMOR ALL Pole Position, Craig Lowndes has led his Championship rival hometo win the second 100km race at the Perth 400.
And the fan favourite has declared it a "huge turnaround" given both Triple Eight Holden Commodores were on the podium, with teammate Jamie Whincup coming home third and recovering from his earlier effort of 17th in Race 14.
"We're making head-roads," Lowndes said.
Barbagallo Raceway has definitely been a happy hunting ground for Lowndes - today he equals Mark Skaife's record of most race wins at a single venue, now with 15 victoriesat the West Australian circuit.
Ford foeMark Winterbottom came home second, but still leads the Championship by 110 points from Lowndes.
Winterbottom said his FPR team salvaged the race, but needed to do better in qualifying tomorrow.
"Good job to the Triple Eight guys... to get second, I'm rapt," the Pepsi Max Crew racer said.
Winterbottom jumped from row starter Scott McLaughlin's Volvo in the pits, after the young gun's first Championship race victory in the S60 earlier today.
Whincup also managed to rejoin ahead of McLaughlin, after the two had been engaged in a tight battle in the opening stages of the race.
Whincup said it was nice to be back on the podium and is already looking to tomorrow's 200km run around the abrasive 2.42km Barbagallo Raceway.
"Tomorrow will be interesting. We're still juggling the setup trying to find some pace but we're there or thereabouts... It feels like we've stolen the podium, but we'll take it."
Fabian Coulthard - who briefly held second in the Championship after the day's first race - finished fifth, with Chaz Mostert, Scott Pye, James Courtney, David Reynolds and Russell Ingall completing the top 10.
Others to note include first Erebus home Lee Holdsworth in 11th, first Nissan Michael Caruso 15, Jason Bright 17 and Shane van Gisbergen 19.
Click here for full results.
Coulthard and Courtney remain third and fourth in the points - as they were coming into the Perth 400 - with Whincup now up to fifth, ahead of van Gisbergen. The 2013 Champion is now just two points behind Courtney and the Holden Racing Team Commodore.
Tomorrow the V8 Supercars will qualify at 10.35am local time, before the 1.55pm 200km race.
