Finals Race: Kostecki seals spot in style, disaster for Heimgartner

Three more berths in the Repco Supercars Finals Series were clinched on points at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, leaving just four spots to be wrapped up at the Repco Bathurst 1000 next month.

Ford stars Cam Waters, Chaz Mostert, and Brodie Kostecki have all ensured their title challenges will continue into the Elimination Final at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 with strong days at The Bend.

Kostecki sealed his berth in stunning fashion, claiming a dominant race win alongside Todd Hazelwood in his first enduro start for Dick Johnson Racing, fending off Waters over the final stint of the race.

Mostert could've easily joined the pair in a fight for the lead, however a strategy gamble didn't pay off. The two-time Bathurst winner fought his way to eighth, which was still more than enough to clinch his Finals berth.

Top 10 results for Anton De Pasquale and Ryan Wood see them enter Bathurst in a very strong position to secure Finals berths, with both drivers well above 100 points clear of the Finals cutoff.

Thomas Randle also claimed a top 10, a much-needed result which saw him move up a spot in the standings to ninth. Whilst not as comfortable as De Pasquale and Wood, only a disaster will stop Tickford from having two Finals drivers.

The big story in the Finals race was the horror day for Andre Heimgartner, whose co-driver Declan Fraser endured a torrid opening stint, first with a clutch drama from the start, and finished by damage from a collision with wildcard Cameron Crick.

What was a 41-point buffer has become an 18-point deficit heading into Bathurst, with Penrite Racing rookie Kai Allen benefitting and jumping into the top 10 for the first time this season, despite only finishing 15th.

Matt Stone Racing duo Nick Percat and Cameron Hill are also right in the mix, with Percat having his best day since a runner-up finish in Tasmania with a fine fifth alongside Nick Percat.

It was a case of what could've been for Hill, who could feasibly be in the 10 had it not been for co-driver Cameron McLeod running off from third in the opening stint.

Supercars Finals Race: AirTouch 500 at The Bend