How Golding disqualification blew Finals race apart

James Golding's disqualification from the AirTouch 500 at The Bend could perhaps be the most pivotal moment of the battle for the 2026 Repco Supercars Finals Series.

A strong run from 18th on the grid to seventh, set up by a trademark Richie Stanaway wet weather masterclass, had initially placed Golding in the box seat to hold down the all-important 10th position through the Repco Bathurst 1000.

However, when Golding finished the race having completed only 50 of a minimum requirement of 54 laps, questions were immediately raised over Blanchard Racing Team's strategy, and what has already been a see-sawing Finals battle for 10th spot threatened to be blown apart.

Provisional joy

The five contenders for 10th position in points, Golding, Jack Le Brocq, Thomas Randle, Andre Heimgartner, and Jayden Ojeda all had mixed days on Sunday.

Having entered the weekend with a 55-point advantage over Le Brocq, Golding had provisionally extended his buffer out to 107 points, a very strong margin with a maximum of 300 to play with at Bathurst.

After co-driver Harri Jones ran as high as second after falling back with a slow start, Le Brocq faded back to 11th in the provisional results, whilst it was a similar story for Randle, who also had co-driver Reuben Goodall run second, before they faded back to 12th.

Heimgartner, meanwhile, launched an impressive recovery after Bryce Fullwood picked up a 15 second penalty early, coming home in ninth, whilst Ojeda had a career day, finishing fifth to claim his best career finish, despite an early spin by David Russell.

If the results remained as they were when everyone crossed the line, Golding and Le Brocq would likely be fighting a two way battle, with Ojeda an outside chance as a contender for the Ryco Enduro Cup.

2026 Repco Supercars Finals standings

Using provisional results, 2026 AirTouch 500 at The Bend

BRT's harsh reality

It was only mere hours after the race that Golding was rubbed out of the results, losing his 182-point haul in the process.

That had the impact of promoting Le Brocq not only into the top 10 for the race, but also in points, an enormous 169-point swing going in the favour of the Matt Stone Racing veteran.

Not only is Le Brocq in the 10, but he has brought Heimgartner, Randle, and Ojeda along for the ride, with 11th to 13th in points covered by just eight points.

Remarkably, the Kiwi jumps up to 11th in points, and has gained 108 points on the bubble to sit just 62 points behind Le Brocq, having been 14th in the provisional points standings.

Randle and Ojeda swap positions, Randle moving from -168 to -63, and Ojeda crushing his margin to the bubble from -165 to -63.

Golding meanwhile, has been dealt a huge blow, tumbling back to 14th, but at just -87 adrift of the bubble, and Stanaway proving his worth immediately, the #7 BRT Ford is by no means out of the equation.

From a scenario where the top 10 might've been as good as locked in, we are now in a world where we are set to enjoy a five-way fight for the last berth in the Finals, and it comes at the sport's greatest stage.

2026 Repco Supercars Finals standings

Final classification, 2026 AirTouch 500 at The Bend