How shocking NZ climax completely changed 2026 Finals picture

It was one of the most pivotal moments of a Repco Supercars Championship. As Brodie Kostecki speared through the grass in Christchurch, we knew his championship lead would disappear.

Kostecki's pain was Broc Feeney's gain, the reigning Repco Sprint Cup winner a surprise championship leader, with Kostecki and Matt Payne both within 50 points of the points leader through the opening four rounds of the season.

However, crunching numbers throughout the field reveals the massive ripple effect it had throughout the provisional Finals bubble.

Kostecki was in the process of securing fourth before he was pushed off by Mostert, which would've handed him a 43-point advantage heading into this weekend's racing in Tasmania.

Alas, one split second moment of madness now leaves Kostecki with a 23-point deficit heading into the halfway point of the Repco Sprint Cup, whilst Feeney was on the flip side, and enjoyed the 66-point swing in his favour.

However, what has gone quietly under the radar is the impact the collision had on the drivers in third and fourth, who were also brought much closer to Feeney in the lead.

On his way to a dominant win, there wasn't much more Matt Payne could do to enhance his position, however what would've been an 89-point gap to the lead was almost halved to just 46.

And then there's Cam Waters, who once again pulled off a Houdini drive from a forced pit lane start, and gained two positions on track going by the spun Kostecki and evading Will Brown, as well as a post-race promotion to fifth once Mostert's penalty was applied.

The Tickford star was the biggest winner out of the whole situation, going from 203 points off the Sprint Cup lead to now sit 138 points behind, well within striking distance should any of the top three stumble.

For the battle for the last Finals berth, Mostert found himself comfortably back inside the Finals bubble, only to be shuffled back out following his 30-second penalty.

Even if Kostecki had completed the move, Mostert would have been eighth in points, and 62 points clear of the cut-off. Now, he's 11th in the standings, 23 points behind Jack Le Brocq in 10th.

Le Brocq moved from 27 points outside the bubble to jump back inside the 10, however it was James Golding who was the biggest winner as the incident unfolded right in front of him.

Picking up the pieces in a similar way to Waters, Golding not only gained a position in the standings, but also an extra 34 points of safety over the Finals bubble.

As we saw on countless occasions last year, it only takes one incident to have a profound impact on the complexion of the Finals battle, and Race 13 in Christchurch was further proof.

With how close the field is in 2026, you can bet that there will be a whole host of moments later on this year that will have just as big an impact on the story of the season.

Track action in Tasmania commences on Friday May 22.

Standings at lap 59/61 in Race 13, 2026 ITM Christchurch Super 440