Will Brown on the brink after qualifying 19th for Sandown finale
Triple Eight driver enters Sandown Sunday sitting 88 points from cut
Brown copped "really bad" gear change before crucial final run
Will Brown is all but set for Finals elimination after "really bad" down change cost the Triple Eight at Sandown.
The 2024 Supercars champion entered Sunday staring down the barrel of Semi Final elimination, following a troubled race on Saturday.
Brown spun out of contention for the win in a spirited battle with Ford rival Brodie Kostecki, before being penalised over a clash with Brad Jones Racing driver Cameron Hill.
Sitting seventh and 88 points from the cut-line, Brown needed a big qualifying result on Sunday to stand a chance. Qualifying 19th, however, wasn't part of the plan.
"F**k, sorry guys, I just got a really bad down change into [Turn] 1 and then locked a front, just stayed in third gear," Brown told his team as he returned to pit lane.
Speaking on the broadcast after returning to the garage, the Queenslander explained: "I don't know why it was a lazy downshift or that, but when I went down to third gear at Turn 1, it got stuck down, and then I had to pull the gear lever back.
"I sorted that, put me out of sync, and I locked the front on my lap.
"So I'm not exactly sure why that happened. Occasionally it does happen in these cars. But yeah, I locked the front, then, got a little gear on it, and then I sort of pulled it back.
"Very disappointing. We opted not to run two sets of greens, which might not have been the best call at the end, but that was my call. So it is what it is."
After Saturday's race, Brown labelled his team's car performance as "terrible," citing Broc Feeney's slump from third to 12th in 15 laps as proof of the problems.
When asked if he has the speed to fight back in the 250km race, Brown said: "We've got to see how tyre life is today.
"Ultimately, we really wanted to qualify, to give ourselves the best chance because we didn't have the best tyre life yesterday. But I'll do the best that I can and try to work through the pack."
Matt Payne claimed provisional pole ahead of Anton De Pasquale, with Kostecki sixth and Feeney 10th. Mostert was 11th, and Cam Waters a surprise 18th.
Race 34 will commence at 3:30pm local time.
