The double whammy in Kostecki dramas

Brodie Kostecki’s Saturday dramas at the NTI Townsville 500 have had a two-pronged effect in the title fights.

Kostecki was hindered by mechanical issues in Saturday’s race, which was won by Erebus Motorsport teammate Will Brown.

Kostecki finished 19th, his third straight event with issues after suffering incidents in Tasmania and Darwin.

Critically, Kostecki's 59-point championship lead turned into a 43-point deficit to Brown, who now leads the drivers’ championship for the first time.

The bigger concern for Erebus is the fact Red Bull Ampol Racing duo Broc Feeney and Shane van Gisbergen finished second and fourth.

Erebus had bolted out of the blocks in the first four rounds, carrying a healthy 276-point lead to Darwin.

Both Erebus drivers missed the Darwin podium, with Feeney and van Gisbergen first and second for the round.

Red Bull Ampol Racing slashed the teams’ points lead from 276 to 142 points in Darwin, and Kostecki’s Saturday dramas in Townsville has tightened proceedings.

Heading into Sunday at the NTI Townsville 500, the margin between Erebus and Triple Eight is just 82 points.

Remarkably, in four races, Triple Eight has clawed back 196 points on Erebus, which has led the teams’ championship since Newcastle.

Brown became the fourth different championship leader in 2023 after Kostecki, Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters.

The margin between first and second is also the smallest since Kostecki led Mostert by 32 points after the Albert Park finale in March.

Supercars will return to the track for ARMOR ALL Qualifying at 10:00am AEST on Sunday, ahead of the Shootout at 12:00pm.

The NTI Townsville 500 will conclude at 2:40pm with the final 88-lap race of the weekend, Race 17.

2023 championship lead progression