Matt Payne leads Broc Feeney by 118 points heading to Ipswich
Penrite leads Red Bull Ampol by 258 points in teams' championship
Penrite, Red Bull Ampol have claimed 12 of Ford's 20 wins
Penrite Racing CEO Brenton Grove admits his team's rivalry with Triple Eight carries a "scary" side, suggesting the reigning teams' champions could bounce back in a big way in Ipswich.
Penrite Racing has opened up healthy leads in both championships, with Matt Payne in the box seat to win the Repco Sprint Cup at the upcoming Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440.
Red Bull Ampol Racing charged back to the top in Perth courtesy of a resurgent Broc Feeney, who burgled Payne to win the second Saturday race.
Smarting after defeat, Payne and Grove Racing turned the tables on Sunday, executing a strategy masterclass before Payne delivered one of the overtakes of the season to beat Feeney.
Being beaten on Saturday, despite having a clear pace advantage with the #19 Ford, didn't sit well with Grove, who told media after the finale: "We were all pretty flat last night, not getting the race win.
“Equally, we had to do things better, and we were pretty clear on what that was gonna be today.
“We had a strategy going into the race and an expectation of how we thought it may play out, and it played out in the way we thought.
The Grove/Triple Eight rivalry went to a new level in Tasmania, where Feeney outlasted Payne after a thrilling start. Post-race, Triple Eight Team Manager Mark Dutton claimed Penrite Racing was the benchmark, while Grove insisted his team needed to keep the pressure on.
The tides completely turned in Darwin, before both leads fell the way of Penrite by Townsville. After Townsville, where Payne won the second race, Executive Chairman Stephen Grove maintained his team needs to be on its "A-game" to keep Triple Eight at bay.
Feeney's side of the garage returned serve at Wanneroo, but Payne and Penrite ended the weekend with extended leads, the final result leaving Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup "stinging."
Grove insisted the Red Bull Ampol squad won't take finishing second lightly.
"It’s nice, Triple Eight always make you be at the limit, the professionalism and the capability of that time is second to none, so any time you’re able to beat them, especially when you’re behind, is a pretty good day,” Grove said.
"But it’s also pretty scary as well, because you know they’re not gonna take this lying down. They’ll bring something pretty special at QR as well.
"We got the job done today, but year, it’s gonna be a battle with them for the rest of the year, both for drivers' and teams’ championship."
Payne leads Feeney by 118 points, with the championship leader at the end of the Ipswich weekend clinching the Sprint Cup and 25 bonus points for the opening Finals round on the Gold Coast. Penrite leads Red Bull Ampol by 258 points.
Feeney won two races in Ipswich last year to win the 2025 Sprint Cup.
