Feeney 'feels sorry' for Triple Eight amid struggles
Sunday of improvement still leaves Broc Feeney wanting
Feeney lost 102 points to Matt Payne in three Townsville races
Triple Eight now on their longest run off the podium since 2006
Broc Feeney cut a dejected figure in the Townsville paddock despite saving his best day of the NTI Townsville 500 until last.
The qualifying master of 2025 failed to register even a top 15 start across the first two days in North Queensland, as Triple Eight's Darwin struggles carried over to the Reid Park Street Circuit.
Though he was able to race his way forward on both days, Sunday was a massive improvement, Feeney making his first Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout appearance of the weekend and maintaining his presence in the lead pack throughout the 68-lap finale.
Feeney ultimately recorded sixth, some 17.6 seconds off race winner Brodie Kostecki, but inside three seconds of a podium finish, as Cam Waters slowed late in a dramatic fuel save.
Having entered the weekend with a 15-point championship lead over Matt Payne, Feeney is now 92 points off the lead, having lost 107 points over the course of the weekend. The swing to Payne over the last two rounds is 182 points.
Whilst there were positives to take out of the final day, Feeney conceded Triple Eight are stuck in a rut at the moment, now going six races without a podium for the first time in 20 years.
"Disappointing when you're excited to get through the top 18 firstly, and then good to be in the Shootout today," said Feeney post-race.
"To be honest, in qualifying I felt like we were kinda in the battle for a top three or something like that, but just missed our mark in the Shootout.
"And then struggled again in today's race. Lot's of testing has been going on, I just feel real sorry for all the boys and girls at T8, because everyone's working so hard.
"It certainly hasn't been a pleasant couple of rounds for us, so we'll be working hard once again to try and get back to the front."
There are now six races remaining for Feeney to wrestle the Repco Sprint Cup lead back off Payne and secure the first Finals berth of 2026.
Feeney has already made it known that he is thinking big picture, saying after Darwin that his preference was to use the final sprint rounds as test sessions for the Finals Series.
Whilst Feeney did hint at testing going on during the Townsville weekend, it proved to be another dour weekend when the likes of Payne, Brodie Kostecki, and Cam Waters all strengthened their title credentials.
"It's been frustrating, we're not hiding behind that. We're in a tough spot at the moment," Feeney continued.
"As I said, everyone's working hard, and I think today we've made a slight improvement, so hopefully we can take something from that for the next couple."
