Payne fastest, Feeney scrapes into Sunday Sydney Shootout

Matt Payne has claimed provisional pole for Race 3 of the Repco Supercars Championship on a hot Sunday at the DUNLOP Sydney 500.

The Penrite Ford topped the field by just over a tenth of a second as seven Mustangs qualified for the upcoming Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout.

However, after claiming a record-breaking 19 poles in 2025, Broc Feeney needed a last-ditch effort just to make the Shootout field as the Red Bull Ampol Fords struggled in the warm conditions.

Also struggling in the warm conditions was the brand-new Toyota GR Supra, which didn't help the case of Chaz Mostert in what has been a difficult opening to his title defence.

The reigning champion was the top Toyota in 16th, with Andre Heimgartner 17th, Ryan Wood 18th, and Cameron Hill and Macauley Jones locking out the back row.

Mostert was needing a big bounce back following the news that he was disqualified from Race 2 last night, and the pressure was on the #1 Mobil 1 Optus Toyota, which hadn't progressed past Q1 through the first two days.

Temperatures were rising substantially as the cars rolled out for the first segment, and it was Aaron Cameron leading the way after the first run on a 1:30.1555s, ahead of Andre Heimgartner's Supra, which had its engine replaced overnight.

There were several big hitters in the drop zone needing a big final lap to push themselves into Q2, with Mostert back in 22nd, Kai Allen 21st, Wood 20th, and Thomas Randle 19th.

Broc Feeney was the standout on the final run, setting a 1:29.8452s to go to the top, as both Walkinshaw TWG Toyotas dragged themselves out of the drop zone and into the top 10.

They remained safe inside the top 18 to progress to Q2, with Heimgartner making it three Supras in Q2, however the big name elimination was Cam Waters, who could only manage 20th on the grid.

Jayden Ojeda, Jobe Stewart, Cooper Murray, Hill, and Jones joined him in the bottom six.

Red Bull Ampol Racing, Blanchard Racing, Penrite Racing's Matt Payne all elected to sit in the lane for the first run, choosing to use a single green tyre run at the end of the 12-minute session.

Payne's teammate Allen was hustling on his first lap, and set a 1:30.1412s to go fastest, despite dipping a wheel into the dirt on the exit of Turn 3, before Jack Le Brocq pipped him by just 0.039s.

James Golding elected to go in the middle of the session, hoping to avoid the hottest of the track conditions, and was the first to dip into the 1:29's in the second segment on a 1:29.8777s.

That was the scene setter as the remainder of the field rolled out for their final run, with Brodie Kostecki considerably faster in the first sector, quickly usurped by Payne.

Payne finished the job to go fastest on a 1:29.6746, however the pressure was on Feeney, who made a mistake on his first laps and needed to stitch together a second lap to knock Kostecki out of the 10 by just 0.045s.

Feeney will be the first car out in the Shootout, followed by Le Brocq, Zach Bates, Will Brown, Allen, Randle, Golding, Cameron, Saturday race winner Anton De Pasquale, and Payne.

The Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout commences at 1:05PM local time.