2026's first Chevrolet Supercars Finalist locked in at The Bend
Anton De Pasquale could be joined by a further two Camaros
Jack Le Brocq, Jayden Ojeda in the hunt for last two berths
In a season where General Motors have at times found themselves smashed from pillar to post, they might have received the greatest free kick of all at the right time of year.
Amid continued parity debate, Chevrolet locked in their first berth in 2026 Finals Series courtesy of Anton De Pasquale, who has been by far and away the marque's best performer all year, securing their two races wins at Sydney and Darwin.
It was by no means a smooth race for De Pasquale and veteran co-driver Lee Holdsworth, who found himself slapped with a 15-second penalty following contact with Nick Percat early in the race, one of a number of incidents that were penalised.
However, unlike many others, Team 18 cleared their penalty only a few laps before the first Safety Car of the day, as wild weather dictated the opening half of the race.
That set up De Pasquale to put in a strong recovery drive once Holdsworth cleared his minimum laps, storming from 15th on the lap 59 restart to an eventual finish of seventh, once James Golding was disqualified.
“What a crazy day for the first endurance race of the year. We had plenty of rain, mixed conditions towards the end, crashes, Safety Cars and a bit of everything. It would have been a really cool race to watch from the couch," said De Pasquale.
“We became involved in a few things early which put us on the back foot, but we recovered into the top 10. That should cement our place in the Finals, which was one of our main goals today.
“We carried some damage to the front splitter and had taken a couple of hits to the rear, so we didn’t have the ultimate speed. We did everything we could and now we’re looking forward to Bathurst.”
Indeed, the strong run did cement De Pasquale's place in the Finals, however there is every chance that he is now joined by another Chevrolet driver in the post-season.
With Golding losing 182 points earned from a strong run to seventh, that has brought Jack Le Brocq and Jayden Ojeda right back into frame for a Finals berth.
Matt Stone Racing's Le Brocq is now in the strongest position he's been in all year at 62 points clear of the bubble, whilst now closing to 70 points outside the bubble is PremiAir Racing rookie Ojeda.
Ojeda and PremiAir were both strong performers at Bathurst last year, PremiAir crossing the line first — ironically with Golding — whilst Ojeda turned in a strong drive alongside Ryan Wood at Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Ojeda could also lock in an automatic Finals berth by virtue of a Ryco Enduro Cup win, having finished fifth at The Bend and entering Bathurst 85 points behind leaders Chaz Mostert and Fabian Coulthard.
PremiAir Racing Team Principal Roland Dane is bullish that Ojeda can launch a last-minute raid at Bathurst alongside David Russell, and is adamant that a fifth-place finish at The Bend can build momentum.
“We’ll take fifth from that. It was a hard-earned fifth place for the #31 in very difficult conditions, so we’re very happy with that," said Dane.
"We’re pleased to have moved Jayden up to 12th in the championship [before Golding's disqualification], and we’ve still got a shot at the top 10 depending on what happens at Bathurst.”
Le Brocq currently holds the all-important 10th spot, whilst Ojeda sits 13th in points, despite being only 70 behind the #4 Camaro. The last two Finals berths are up for grabs at Bathurst.
