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Emotional Brown reacts to 'surreal' championship triumph

Supercars
16 Nov
"I guess I came into the year thinking that if I didn't win or finish second it was probably because I'd let the team down"
4 mins by James Pavey
  • Will Brown reacts to "surreal" championship triumph

  • Brown clinched 2024 title with second in Adelaide opener

  • Queenslander has 18 podiums in 23 starts this year

Will Brown has finally realised a childhood dream, with the first-year Triple Eight Race Engineering driver labelling his title victory as "surreal."

The Queenslander will carry an unassailable 168-point lead into Sunday, with 150 points remaining.

Starting fifth, Brown had it all to do in the final stint, but passed Randle and Waters to secure the title with one race to go.

Ultimately, Feeney was a dominant winner, but cannot beat Brown to the crown.

Speaking after the race, 26-year-old Brown feels the pressure is now off heading into Sunday's finale.

"I think I was more glad that it finished because it was so hot out there," Brown said.

"Awesome day, Broc did a great job. I made it hard for myself in the pits having the steering wheel locked, the boys couldn't get the pit stop done there, but awesome to drive back, and to win the championship in front of all these people.

"For everyone coming out today, thank you, bunch of legends, I wish I could go out and get on the beers tonight, but I can't I've got to behave, that's tomorrow night.

"I'm just stoked, to finally wrap it up today is awesome, takes a bit of pressure off tomorrow so we'll go out there and have some fun.

"It's a bit surreal at the moment, I don't think it's quite caught up with me just yet, I'm sure it will Sunday night."

Second place also made Brown the first driver since Dick Johnson in 1984 to score at least one podium at every round of a season.

"It's cool, it's cool to get a podium at every round this year, which is amazing with the team. I'm just stoked with it all, I can't believe it," said Brown, who has 18 podiums in 23 starts this season.

"I guess I came into the year thinking that if I didn't win or finish second it was probably because I'd let the team down, they do such a good job.

"I'm stoked to repay them and win the championship, I don't really have many words right now."

With the Tickford Mustangs ahead, Brown knew he needed to pass both to secure the title: "I think I worked out I had to finish fourth to close it off today so I was having a big crack.

"I wanted to get past Thomas and Cam and make a race out of it, and I also wanted to get on the podium, so I tried as hard as I could whilst also conserving a little bit, but it was an awesome race.

"It was just cool to come back a little bit, I thought it was going to come down to tomorrow after the pit stop and make it a bit tougher, but it was cool to finish it off."

All told, in an enthralling season, Brown had to beat his teammate to get the job done, with Triple Eight the class of the field in 2024.

Feeney has six wins to Brown's four, and will end the year with more victories than the champion, a feat last seen when Jamie Whincup needed just four wins to claim the 2017 crown.

"He's shown every round that if I don't turn up with my A-game he's going to beat me, he did a fantastic job, and I think he's pushed us both to the front, it's brought the success that we've had all year," Brown said.

"Thanks to him, he's done a fantastic job, and his day will come, but it's really cool, I'm just really happy about it all."

The Repco Supercars Championship will conclude on Sunday with Boost Mobile Qualifying, the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout, and Race 24.

Sunday's action will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 506), Kayo and the Seven Network.

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