After a major oil spill in the final Touring Car Masters race, the second and final race of the Supercars Sandown 500 faced a 30-minute delay.
Track crews worked tirelessly to clear the remnants of oil and standing water from earlier rain, leaving competitors to navigate a damp and unpredictable circuit as the race finally began.
Broc Feeney, who had secured pole position, made a perfect getaway, holding off Anton De Pasquale through Turn 1 to take the early lead. The start was dramatic for the Kiwi drivers.
Matt Payne immediately found himself battling Cam Waters and Thomas Randle; in the melee, he lost two positions and slipped to ninth. Andre Heimgartner and Jaxon Evans gained positions as Jayden OJeda, replacing Richie Stanaway, dropped eight spots to the rear.
Meanwhile, Cameron Hill’s start ended in disaster when he hit the fence on Lap 2, carrying signage debris on his car and requiring a pit stop, dropping him a lap down.
By Lap 5, De Pasquale made a decisive move on Feeney, diving up the inside to take the lead. Rain returned, hammering down and forcing a series of pit stops.
Ryan Wood’s WAU Mustang encountered a major problem when the team could not remove his front-left wheel, resulting in a painfully slow stop. Golding, Le Brocq, Evans, OJeda, and Hill also switched to wet tyres.
The pit chaos allowed James Golding to emerge in third, while Heimgartner and Davison, the last to pit, found themselves at the back of the pack.
The Kiwi drivers were making steady progress. Evans climbed nine positions to 11th by Lap 14, just 3.7 seconds behind tenth-placed Courtney, while Heimgartner had risen to 12th.
Payne, in the thick of the action at the front, was pressuring Chaz Mostert and Will Brown. Brown, in particular, was a revelation, moving from 17th to 10th in the early stages of the race.
The race intensified on Lap 21. Waters tapped the rear of Golding, leaving the PremiAir Racing driver vulnerable. Brown capitalised, taking fourth after a brilliant run out of Turn 12, while De Pasquale began closing on Feeney, who had maintained a slender advantage at the front.
Payne remained competitive, running fifth, and putting pressure on Mostert and Brown through the high-speed sections.
The first central turning point came when Golding suffered contact with Waters at Turn 11. Heavy door-to-door contact sent Golding onto the grass, causing a puncture and forcing a pit stop.
The unscheduled stop dropped him to 22nd, further shaking up the field. The track dried rapidly, prompting a slick tyre change.
Mostert, now on slicks, nearly hit the wall at Turn 3 and slid through Turn 4, highlighting the delicate balance required in these changing conditions.
The Kiwi contingent continued to battle. Payne, running in the top ten, found himself caught in a fierce door-to-door clash with Waters. The encounter forced Payne off the track, resulting in steering damage.
Waters, too, suffered a puncture and front-left shock damage, briefly rejoining before heading back to the garage for repairs.
Payne, meanwhile, lost valuable time and ground; despite the setback, he remained on track long enough to try to salvage points but ultimately could not secure a top finish to advance to the Adelaide Grand Final and was classified 22nd and six laps down.
Heimgartner, starting from the back, put in a superb recovery drive, eventually finishing 10th. Evans crossed the line in 15th, a solid showing amid the chaos, while Wood, hampered by early pit stop issues, was classified 23rd, eight laps down.
Up front, Feeney held firm, managing the traffic and changing conditions to secure a commanding win.
De Pasquale crossed second, claiming his best finish of the season, with Brown completing a remarkable charge from 17th on the grid to take third.
Mostert, after a late-race crash, recovered to fourth, followed by Kostecki, Allen, Courtney, Fullwood, Reynolds, and Heimgartner, who rounded out the top ten.
Other notable performers included James Courtney, who gained eight positions to finish seventh, and David Reynolds, who moved up twelve places to ninth.
For the Kiwi drivers, it was a day of mixed fortunes—Heimgartner’s recovery highlighted skill and composure in treacherous conditions, Evans demonstrated consistency despite setbacks, Payne’s Adelaide hopes were cruelly ended by contact, and Wood’s persistence underscored his resilience, albeit another unlucky race for the Kiwi young gun.
Feeney’s win at Sandown not only marked his 13th victory of the season but also solidified his position heading into the Adelaide Grand Final.
After a thrilling and unpredictable Sandown 500, all eyes now turn to Adelaide, where the championship finale from 27–30 November promises further premier racing.
Header Image: Supercars
