Sydney — Anton de Pasquale wins race 2 decisively

Since Triple Eight Engineering returned to Ford's fold, the status of official Chevrolet team has become Team 18's responsibility. This added pressure doesn't seem to faze its two star drivers: David Reynolds and Anton de Pasquale. Sixth the previous day and first Camaro, de Pasquale showed his teeth in a race largely dominated by the Ford Mustangs. He made it a point of honor to rectify the situation in this second race, also held at night. He starts from pole position with another driver seeking redemption from the previous day, Brodie Kostecki (Ford Mustang #17), alongside him. The championship leader after Race 1, Broc Feeney (Ford Mustang #88), qualified 9th, while Chaz Mostert (Toyota Supra #1) starts last on the grid.

Triple Eight drivers in tough situations

At the start, de Pasquale showed composure to withstand the attacks and bumper-to-bumper maneuvers of the 2023 champion. Behind them, Matt Payne and his Mustang... Whole grained Racing cars followed suit. In the standings, Feeney was in 10th place while Will Brown (Ford Mustang #888) dropped one position to 14th. The racing conditions seemed more challenging than the previous day, and many drivers were struggling with poor tire performance. Feeney and Brown were particularly affected. Rear-wheel grip appeared very precarious for the factory Ford drivers. The situation was about to get even more complicated for them.

On lap 10, André Heimgartner's retirement (Toyota Supra #8) due to mechanical failure brought out the safety car. All the teams opted for an early pit stop, and almost the entire field rushed into the pit lane. While most pit stops proceeded without incident despite the intense activity, Feeney and Brown both encountered problems that would severely penalize them.

Feeney received a 15-second penalty for being released unsafely by his mechanics, making contact with James Golding's Mustang. The race director deemed the #88 driver responsible. Brown received the same penalty for spinning his wheels while the car was still supported on its jacks. Both Mustangs dropped down the order (16th for Feeney, 21st for Brown). The end of the race was nothing short of an impressive comeback for both drivers: Feeney managed to climb to 6th place, while Brown had to settle for 15th.

A nail-biting finish between Kostecki and de Pasquale

Brodie Kostecki was one of the key figures in this round. Aggressive and fast, the Dick Johnson Racing driver opted to alter his strategy by not stopping during the second round of pit stops. He stayed out on track, trying to close the gap to de Pasquale, who remained in the lead ahead of Matt Payne by less than two seconds.

After his pit stop, Kostecki rejoined the race in third position, six seconds behind the leaders with 18 laps to go. The driver of the red and white Mustang then embarked on a series of spectacular laps. He overtook Payne for second place on lap 45 and continued his pursuit of de Pasquale. The Chevrolet driver, a solid pacesetter in the closing stages, saw Kostecki close to within half a second at the checkered flag.

It's a clear and well-deserved victory for Anton de Pasquale and Team 18 after two years without a win. Kostecki finished a strong second ahead of Payne. Cam Waters (Ford Mustang #6) and David Reynolds (Chevrolet Camaro #20) completed the top five. Starting last, Chaz Mostert narrowly missed out on a top-ten finish, coming in 11th in his Supra #1.

One race remains at Sydney Motorsport Park to determine whether Anton de Pasquale will leave this first meeting as the championship leader. Tune in tomorrow at 6:00 AM French time to find out the outcome of this first Australian Supercars weekend.

Supercars - Race 2 Sydney Results