Kostecki's Finals hopes still alive after brave DJR all-nighter
Brodie Kostecki Ford set for Sunday after DJR all-nighter
Kostecki crashed heavily during Saturday morning qualifying
Boost Mobile Qualifying to commence at 10:00am local
The Shell V-Power Racing Team has pulled off a miracle as Australia slept, repairing Brodie Kostecki's Ford Mustang ahead of Sunday's Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 action.
Dick Johnson Racing mechanics turned in a gut-busting all-nighter across its workshops, PACE Innovations and, finally, its garages in Surfers Paradise.
The drama began when Kostecki careened into the front chicane barriers late in Race 28 qualifying. After tripping over the Turn 1 tyre bundle, Kostecki was a passenger when the front splitter broke and became wedged underneath the left front wheel.
The crash occurred at approximately 11:17am local time. Instead of returning to the paddock, the #38 Shell V-Power Mustang was sent off-site for repairs following permission from Supercars. Kostecki was cleared by on-site medical staff after the 19g impact, and will be ready to compete on Sunday.
In a race to make Sunday qualifying at the earliest, the team — Kostecki included — stripped the car back at its Staplyton workshop, before taking it to PACE Innovations in Yatala for chassis repairs.
Kostecki's co-driver Todd Hazelwood has also been on the ride with the team, per the picture above, with his partner Border Towing also assisting with the repairs.
On Saturday night, DJR Team Principal Dr Ryan Story told Supercars.com that the "front clip is destroyed, but the damage to the centre section was minimal," and that Paul Ceprnich and the PACE team did a "ripper job."
The car was then towed back to the circuit on Saturday night, where the team reassembled a new front end.
By 5:00am local time, the front end had been completed as mechanics continued work towards getting the car on track for Boost Mobile Qualifying.
Shortly afterwards, the car was fired up.
The efforts keep Kostecki's now faint Finals hopes alive, with the 2023 Supercars champion dropping from fifth to ninth in the standings, 66 points below the cut-line.
For Kostecki to make it to the Semi Final without winning on Sunday, he must finish ahead of Ryan Wood and at least 10th if Thomas Randle and Anton De Pasquale both DNF.
