81 to 189: How Brown turned championship tide before Bathurst

Will Brown's crushing victory with Scott Pye in a Red Bull Ampol Racing one-two at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 was a brutal reminder that both team and driver will be hard to top in the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship.

The 26-year-old from Toowoomba has been something of a revelation this season in his first year at Triple Eight, having featured on the podium at every event of the season to date.

Brown's remarkably consistent season saw him take an 81-point lead into Sandown, with Walkinshaw Andretti United star Chaz Mostert bearing down on him after a dream run of form.

Having not finished any worse than fourth in the six races leading into Sandown, Mostert had made what was a 279-point deficit all but disappear, putting the pressure back on Brown.

Mostert had even jumped Broc Feeney for second in the lead up to Sandown, during a clean sweep of the Sydney SuperNight in August.

However, Mostert was one of the big losers from the Sandown 500, following a race day that WAU team principal Carl Faux described as "diabolical" for the team.

Mostert's co-driver Lee Holdsworth was lucky to get away with a wild spin on lap 42, and although they recovered strongly, seventh was the best they could muster.

As a result of WAU's difficult day, Brown dragged his points buffer back out to 189 points over Mostert, the largest points gap between the two since Race 13 in Townsville.

Brown's Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Feeney limited the points loss by finishing second alongside Jamie Whincup, but had his chances to claim back-to-back Sandown 500 wins.

Feeney lost a further 24 points to Brown in the title race, now sitting 222 points off the pace in third, but only 33 points behind Mostert in second.

Cam Waters' slim title hopes have likely been extinguished following a clean but quiet run to sixth alongside James Moffat.

The Tickford spearhead entered Sandown 350 points behind Brown, and realistically needed podiums in both enduros at the very least to maintain his chances.

Waters now sits 446 points behind championship leader Brown, and needs a win at Bathurst alongside troubles for both Red Bull Camaros and the Optus Mustang to get back in the frame.

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 10-13. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

Live coverage can be found on Foxtel, with live streaming available on Kayo. The Seven Network will take live free to air coverage, with streaming on 7plus. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.

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