Campbell Logan wins Super2 opener at Sandown
Lochie Dalton crash blows title race wide open
Top four in points now separated by just 36 points
Campbell Logan has won a chaotic Race 1 for the DUNLOP Super2 Series at Sandown, while Lochie Dalton's first DNF of the season has blown the title race wide open.
Dalton was an opening lap retirement after a controversial collision, while Logan claimed his second win of the season, with Brad Vaughan keeping himself in the hunt with a fighting drive from the back of the field.
Logan converted his pole position, while Dalton got a ropey start, and fell behind a fast-starting Reuben Goodall, before Nash Morris also fired down the inside at Turn 4.
Morris and Dalton collided, bouncing the #43 Ford into the tyre wall, and back out into the path of a luckless Aaron Love, who was on the outside of a three-wide scramble in the mid-pack.
Both Dalton and Love were out on the spot, while Vaughan also picked up a puncture, and was lucky to escape without more damage to his Commodore. No penalties were deemed necessary over the incident, though both Dalton and Tim Blanchard had plenty to say.
Vaughan needed to finish at least fourth to wrest the series lead off Dalton, having entered the day with a 114-point deficit, but needed a lot to go his way after dropping to the back.
At the head of the field, Logan and Goodall cleared away off the restart on lap 6, while Morris made a decisive move on Elliott Cleary for third at Turn 11 on the restart lap.
There would be a further two quick fire Safety Car interventions, both due to incidents involving Dalton's Blanchard Racing Team teammate Bailey Sweeny.
Sweeny launched a move up the inside of Ben Gomersall at Turn 2 on lap 12, pushing the Tickford Ford into the mud, before the pair made awkward contact as Gomersall rejoined.
That spun Sweeny across Gomersall's bow and into Bayley Hall, before a stranded Sweeny was then clobbered by an unsighted Ryan Tomsett. Gomersall was slapped with a 15-second penalty for his role in the incident.
Vaughan picked up two spots in the tangle, and sat 10th as the Safety Car came back out for the second time.
As the race went back to green, repairs made to Sweeny's front splitter gave way, pitching him off again at Turn 4, bringing on the third Safety Car period.
The race restarted with just under five minutes remaining, with Logan and Goodall once again clearing out from their teammate Morris, while Cleary and Cody Burcher were both putting their strongest performances of the year for Eggleston Motorsport.
Logan claimed victory by six tenths of a second over Goodall, with Morris completing the podium, ahead of Cleary, Burcher, and Matt Hillyer.
Vaughan overtook both Bradi Owen and Declan Fraser in he final dash to the finish, while Gomersall's post-race penalty promoted the Brad Jones Racing star to seventh in the final order.
Provisionally, Dalton maintains the series lead, though now heavily reduced to just 18 points over Vaughan. Logan is now just 24 points back, with Morris closing to 36 points behind with three races remaining.
The title chase continues with Boost Mobile Qualifying at 10:45am AEDT on Sunday morning.
