Feeney pounces on Payne to end win drought

For the first time in 69 days, Broc Feeney is a Repco Supercars Championship race winner.

Feeney snapped a seven race podium-less streak to claim a relieving victory, and it was a statement move that sealed the #88 Red Bull Ampol Racing driver's fifth win of the season.

After Matt Payne dominated the opening stint of the race, Feeney made the most of Payne getting caught behind Aaron Cameron in the pit cycle to muscle his way by the championship leader.

With the fastest lap bonus also secured, Feeney clawed back 11 points on Payne in the fight for the Repco Sprint Cup, with Payne's lead now 107 points.

Feeney got a good initial launch from second on the grid, but Payne's Mustang hooked up in the second phase as Feeney lit up into wheelspin after hooking second gear.

Thomas Randle had to dive to the outside to avoid spearing into the back of the faltering Feeney, who then aggressively covered Kai Allen on the inside.

Randle and Allen then locked horns through Turns 2 and 3, with Randle dipping two wheels into the grass at the entry of Turn 4, almost cleaning out Allen, and losing two positions to Andre Heimgartner and Chaz Mostert.

After a wild first kilometre, the race settled into a rhythm with Payne checking out to the tune of 1.7s after 10 laps, and Allen also putting three seconds on Heimgartner in third.

There was craziness at the rear of the field as Jackson Walls and Zach Bates tripped over one another on the front straight, before Cooper Murray was tipped into a wild slide by Cameron at the entry to Turn 1 on lap 11. Amazingly, they all kept it pointed in the right direction.

Ryan Wood and Cam Waters then traded blows down the pit straight, Waters dooring the #2 Toyota after Wood made a bold moved for ninth at Turn 7.

Mostert was the first of the leaders to pit from fifth on lap 16, leaving him with a massive 34 lap run home, but crucially clean air to make headway with.

Feeney faded back to Allen at a similar stage, with Payne cruising out in the lead, whilst Heimgartner had also fallen well behind the #26 Penrite Ford.

Penrite Racing opted for the strategic play, pulling Allen out from behind Feeney on lap 22 for a potential undercut, with Red Bull Ampol Racing responding the next time by.

A 7.3s stop from Triple Eight kept Feeney comfortably clear of Allen, even giving the #88 a handy 1.5s buffer. Payne meanwhile, was in complete control of his strategy and pitted at the halfway mark on lap 25.

Payne was released back into the battle pack at the tail of the field with Bates, Walls, and Cameron, however Feeney had closed substantially to crush the lead to one second.

Cameron dived into pit lane for his stop on lap 27, he baulked Payne. That was all the invitation Feeney needed, darting to the inside down the pit straight and making the move despite almost running in the grass.

The race was falling away from Payne, who was complaining of understeer after his stop, with Allen only a second behind. Feeney, meanwhile, set the fastest lap of the race as soon as he got into the lead.

That seemed to break the back of the race, Payne starting to fall away from the 2025 Repco Sprint Cup winner as he sat in behind.

Attention then turned to Brodie Kostecki, who closed up to the back of Will Brown for fifth, whilst Mostert was also falling back to the pair after his early stop.

By the time Feeney crossed the line, his advantage had stretched to just over 1.5s, with Allen cruising home in third, and Mostert fending off Brown and Kostecki by six tenths of a second. Heimgartner, Wood, Waters, and Randle rounded out the top 10.

Sunday Supercars action begins with Boost Mobile Qualifying at 11:00am local time/1:00pm AEST.