Dutton admits Triple Eight faces 'hard job' managing Feeney, Brown in title fight
Mark Dutton admits Triple Eight faces "hard job" managing Broc Feeney, Will Brown
Feeney first, Brown third in standings heading to bp Adelaide Grand Final
Brown defeated Feeney in 2024, Feeney has 13 wins to Brown's two in 2025
The way in which Red Bull Ampol Racing manages Broc Feeney and Will Brown is now crucial to avoid losing the championship, Team Manager Mark Dutton has acknowledged.
On paper, Triple Eight Race Engineering is in the privileged position to have two drivers fighting for the crown at the bp Adelaide Grand Final.
However, under The Finals system, Feeney leads Brown by 35 points, with 300 up for grabs across the three races.
Where Chaz Mostert and Kai Allen are lone soldiers for their teams, and have an ace up their sleeves with fast teammates in Ryan Wood and Matt Payne, Feeney and Brown have to beat each other.
Crucially, as Dutton pointed out on Supercars' Cool Down Lap presented by Moza Racing podcast, Feeney and Brown share the same pit boom, and untimely Safety Cars could cause issues should there be no option but to double stack.
Given the points situation, it's likely that Triple Eight won't be able to prioritise either driver. Where they qualify and where they sit on track will determine pit priority. On current form, it is Feeney's to lose, given he has a 29-2 qualifying head-to-head record over Brown.
However, with a championship on the line, Triple Eight will need to keep both drivers' expectations in check as the pressure rises.
It has already come to a head this season, Jamie Whincup insisting he didn't want his drivers "screwing each other" in Townsville after Brown made a failed plea to pit before Feeney.
In Melbourne, a pre-race pact also decided the winner of the first race, after Feeney and Brown qualified on the front row.
"Yeah, it is definitely harder than just having one, but obviously it's what you want,” Dutton said.
"There’s the price that comes with that success, is that it is a harder job to manage. As everyone knows, we share one boom between two cars. None of our championship competitors have that issue.
"That is a massive thing because you can easily trip over and disadvantage both cars, when you're trying to disadvantage none where the others don't have to think about that at all."
12 months ago, Brown and Feeney were the only drivers in contention heading to Adelaide. Brown wrapped up the title with a race to spare, yet Triple Eight still felt the pressure.
Feeney was penalised for an unsafe release in the Sunday race, and spun out Mostert disputing the lead in the closing laps, ironically gifting victory to Brown.
When asked if there could be more fireworks in 2025, Dutton joked: "Well, Broc was on for a great result last year until the car controller — myself — stuffed that up for him. So, hopefully we can right some wrongs there."
Track action at the bp Adelaide Grand Final commences on Thursday November 27.
