Walkinshaw Andretti United stamped its authority on the penultimate round of the 2025 Supercars Championship, with Chaz Mostert winning Race 30 at Sandown after a hard-fought opening lap, a decisive middle phase, and a fierce late-race challenge from Will Brown.
Kiwi pole-sitter Ryan Wood proved instrumental in Mostert’s victory, controlling the early stages and later defending with everything he had as Brown charged through the field.
The run to Turn 1 set the tone for the opening stint as Mostert and Wood blasted side-by-side toward the braking zone. Mostert edged ahead by fractions, claiming the lead while Brodie Kostecki slipped past Anton De Pasquale for third.
The opening lap brought mixed fortunes for the New Zealanders. Jaxon Evans lost three positions and dropped to 14th, while the replacement for the sidelined Richie Stanaway also slipped three places to 24th.
Andre Heimgartner fared slightly better, holding on to 20th after losing just one spot to Jack Le Brocq.
Up the road, Matt Payne executed a tidy opening lap and maintained sixth position on the rear bumper of Grove Racing teammate Kai Allen.
By Lap 4, Wood signalled he wasn’t going to let his teammate escape easily. He punched out the fastest lap of the race at 1:10.183 and remained within seven-tenths of Mostert.
Further back, Grove Racing appeared to intervene tactically as Allen opened the door for Payne, allowing the championship contender to move through with relative ease.
Payne sits third in the standings, while Allen remains in the mix for the final Finals berth, separated from Thomas Randle by nine points.
Championship leader Broc Feeney held seventh, exactly where he qualified, and found no immediate way past Allen in the early laps. His teammate Brown was moving at a far more urgent pace, climbing three positions to 12th by Lap 10 after what had been a disappointing qualifying session.
At the front, Mostert extended his margin to 1.5 seconds by Lap 10, although Wood reeled that back to seven-tenths four laps later. The WAU duo looked comfortable, pulling a 3.5-second gap over Kostecki in third.
Grove Racing rolled the dice first. Payne pitted on Lap 15 in an attempt to undercut his way into contention.
Mostert, meanwhile, built his advantage back out to 1.6 seconds. Brown continued his recovery by making a forceful move on Cam Waters, passing him under brakes and climbing into ninth place by Lap 17.
The first pit cycle began to unfold in earnest when Wood stopped on Lap 19 alongside James Courtney and Jayden Ojeda. Payne became the fastest driver on track as he pushed to make his undercut count.
Feeney and Cameron Hill made their first stops on Lap 24, and moments later, the race leader, Mostert, peeled into the pit lane.
The stop cost him track position, as Wood’s early stop and fast out-laps carried him into the net lead once the cycle played out.
Payne also closed significantly, sitting less than a second behind Mostert when the order finally stabilised. Evans stopped on Lap 27 and rejoined outside the top 20.
Once the first round of stops was complete, the race settled into a rhythm with Wood leading Mostert, followed by Payne, Feeney and Kostecki. Allen, De Pasquale, Fullwood, Brown and Courtney rounded out the top ten.
Mostert reclaimed control of the race on Lap 35 with a strong tow down the front straight, diving up the inside of Wood into Turn 1 to retake the lead. The second round of compulsory stops began with 33 laps remaining as Payne, Courtney, Ojeda and Cooper Murray all headed in.
Feeney and De Pasquale followed a lap later, with Feeney managing to rejoin ahead of Payne. Wood and Allen completed their service with 29 laps to go, while Mostert made his final stop a lap later and rejoined with a clear margin over Wood.
Brown stopped with 26 laps remaining and returned to the track behind both Payne and Kostecki, though his pace suggested he would not stay there long.
With 23 laps remaining, Brown swept past Payne to move into seventh, with two cars ahead still due to pit. Up front, Mostert held a one-second advantage over Wood, while Feeney sat third, two seconds behind the Kiwi.
The top four compressed rapidly, with less than five seconds covering the group as the race entered its final phase.
Heimgartner and Randle became the last drivers to complete their second stops with 22 laps to go, rejoining in 16th and 18th, respectively. Evans continued to struggle with balance issues and remained stuck in 21st.
Brown’s charge intensified with relentless pace and repeated fastest laps. His team reinforced the message that Feeney was catchable, and with 13 laps left, Brown completed a clean move on the championship leader to climb into third.
He now set his sights on Wood, who sat 2.2 seconds up the road, while Mostert held a slim advantage at the front.
The tension peaked inside the final seven laps as Brown closed to within half a second of Wood. The Kiwi defended with everything he had, covering the inside lines at Turns 1 and 2 as Brown tapped his rear bumper repeatedly in an attempt to unsettle him.
Wood withstood the pressure until six laps remained, when he ran slightly deep into Turn 2. The compromised exit allowed Brown to dive down the inside at Turn 3.
The pair made contact through the corner, banging doors as they fought for the apex, but Brown forced his way through to take second.
The battle behind allowed Mostert to extend his lead to 4.5 seconds, giving him all the margin he would need. Brown closed by a second on the final laps, but the race was already settled.
Mostert crossed the line 3.8 seconds clear, securing his place in the Adelaide Grand Final and capping off a commanding WAU performance at Sandown.
Brown’s drive from 15th to second was one of the performances of the day, while Wood completed the podium after a brilliant defensive effort that ultimately played a crucial role in protecting Mostert’s victory chances.
Feeney and Kostecki completed the top five. Payne finished sixth, four-tenths ahead of teammate Allen as both Grove Racing Mustangs lacked the outright pace of the WAU and Triple Eight machinery.
De Pasquale, Fullwood and Golding rounded out the top ten, with Heimgartner finishing 17th and Evans 21st.
Attention now turns to tomorrow, with qualifying for Race 31 set for 1:20 pm, followed by the Top 10 Shootout at 2:10 pm. The second Sandown race of the weekend begins at 5:20 pm as the championship edges closer to its Adelaide finale.
Header Image: Walkinshaw Andretti United
