Ryan Wood’s Supercars Finals Series campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion on the streets of Surfers Paradise, with a controversial team order, a late shift in the championship calculations, and an extraordinary recovery from Anton De Pasquale combining to deny the young Kiwi a place in the next round.
Despite Walkinshaw Andretti United teammate Chaz Mostert sacrificing a podium position to help Wood’s championship chances, the Kiwi ultimately missed out on progressing to Sandown, finishing fourth in a dramatic second and final race of the Gold Coast 500.
Championship leader Matt Payne had better news, continuing his impressive run with a sixth-place finish, keeping his title hopes on track and retaining the lead heading into the next round.
Andre Heimgartner was another standout, charging from 16th on the grid to fifth after an alternative strategy and a series of late-race overtakes.
Up front, Broc Feeney was largely untouchable, converting pole position into victory ahead of Brodie Kostecki and Mostert. However, much of the attention was on the championship battle unfolding behind them.
Wood was the highest-placed New Zealander in qualifying, securing fifth on the grid after an impressive recovery in the Top 10 Shootout.
Wood had just scraped into the Shootout in tenth before putting in a lap good enough to gain five positions.
It was a tougher session for his fellow Kiwis. Championship leader Payne missed the Shootout and qualified 12th, while Heimgartner was left 16th, a disappointing result after qualifying fourth and finishing fifth in Saturday’s race.
Feeney secured pole ahead of Triple Eight teammate Will Brown, while Aaron Cameron put in a strong lap to take third ahead of Kostecki and Wood.
Several drivers found trouble with the tyre barriers throughout the session, while Finals Series contenders Jack Le Brocq, De Pasquale and Kai Allen all failed to progress beyond Q1.
Cam Waters was also disqualified from the Shootout after officials found his right-rear tyre below the mandatory minimum pressure of 16 psi, dropping him from eighth to tenth on the grid.
After Saturday’s wet and unpredictable race, drivers were greeted by blue skies and a dry circuit for Sunday’s 85-lap contest. Feeney made a clean getaway from pole, leading Brown into the opening corners, while Cameron settled into third ahead of Kostecki.
However, the opening lap proved disastrous for several drivers fighting to keep their championship campaigns alive.
Le Brocq, De Pasquale and David Reynolds were all forced into the pits with damage following separate opening-lap incidents, leaving both Team 18 cars in trouble and two Finals Series contenders facing an uphill battle.
Debris from De Pasquale’s damaged car eventually brought out the Safety Car on Lap 3. Racing resumed on Lap 7, with De Pasquale managing to rejoin on the lead lap in 20th, while Le Brocq was already a lap down and Reynolds several laps behind.
By Lap 10, Feeney had established a 1.4-second advantage over Brown, with Cameron another 1.5 seconds further back. Wood remained firmly in the leading group, although he lost fifth place to teammate Mostert on Lap 15.
The opening round of pit stops began on Lap 16, with Allen among the first drivers to come in. Kostecki stopped on Lap 19, followed by Mostert one lap later, while Brown also completed his first stop as teams began splitting their strategies.
Mostert’s stop later came under investigation after footage appeared to show his car being lowered while the fuel rig was still attached, though only briefly. The incident was referred for a post-race investigation, but he was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
Feeney waited until Lap 27 to make his first stop, having built a seven-second advantage over Wood, who had moved into second after passing Cameron. Wood stopped three laps later, with his team opting for a shorter stop to protect track position.
Meanwhile, Payne and Heimgartner were taking a completely different approach. Both Kiwis extended their opening stints well beyond the leaders, eventually running first and second as the rest of the field completed their stops.
Payne finally came in on Lap 41, rejoining tenth behind Waters and ahead of Thomas Randle, with tyres 21 laps fresher than those on Randle’s car. Heimgartner stayed out even longer, inherited the lead, and continued to build his strategic advantage.
On Lap 49, Mostert moved on Brown at Turn 11, and Wood immediately took advantage to follow his teammate through.
Heimgartner eventually made his first stop on Lap 52, returning to the track in tenth.
Brown also made his second stop, with a ride-height adjustment costing valuable time in the pits. Payne made his second stop, knowing an eighth-place finish or better would be enough to secure his place in the next round of the Finals Series.
Wood stopped for the second time on Lap 56, with Kostecki responding the following lap. By Lap 63, Mostert and Heimgartner had completed their final stops, setting up a frantic run to the chequered flag.
Heimgartner’s long opening stint began paying dividends in the closing stages.
After rejoining eighth following his final stop, the Kiwi found himself in a tight three-car battle with Ojeda and Hughes.
Further stops for Ojeda and Rylan Gray promoted Heimgartner to sixth, putting him firmly in contention for a top-five finish. Wood, meanwhile, was involved in a tense battle with Hughes for fourth, with far more than just a handful of championship points on the line.
At that stage, Wood needed fourth place to remain in contention for progression to Sandown, with De Pasquale steadily recovering from his opening-lap disaster. Wood held off Hughes, but Heimgartner soon threatened from behind.
The two Kiwis battled for position before Heimgartner eventually found a way past, continuing his impressive climb through the field. It left Wood needing help from elsewhere, and that’s when the afternoon’s most controversial moment unfolded.
With Mostert running third and already guaranteed a place in the next round of the Finals Series, Walkinshaw Andretti United faced a difficult decision. Wood needed another position to improve his chances of progressing, but his teammate was running approximately ten seconds up the road.
The team instructed Mostert to slow down and allow Wood to catch him. Mostert was far from happy.
Every championship point still mattered to Mostert, even though his place in the next round was already secure, and surrendering third would mean sacrificing valuable points and a podium finish.
When Mostert failed to immediately comply, the team repeated the instruction more firmly. For those who need a refresher, there’s an interesting backstory to the decision.
Wood had played a supporting role in Mostert’s championship fight during the final round of the previous season, and now the Australian was being asked to return the favour. Eventually, Mostert complied.
He slowed enough to allow Wood through into third, temporarily putting his young teammate in a position to progress to Sandown. It was a huge call from the team, particularly with Mostert still fighting for the championship himself.
But after all that, it would be a completely different team’s strategy and mistake that ultimately decided Wood’s fate. While Wood was handed third place, De Pasquale staged an extraordinary recovery from the back of the field.
After being forced into the pits with damage on the opening lap, the Team 18 driver steadily climbed back through the order and was running 16th with 11 laps remaining.
The championship calculations were changing almost by the lap, with Wood’s place in the next round hanging on where De Pasquale finished. With eight laps remaining, Hughes had to pit for a late splash of fuel after the team miscalculated his fuel intake in his last pit stop.
The stop promoted De Pasquale to 15th and, crucially, moved him back ahead of Wood in the Finals Series calculations. Suddenly, Wood’s podium position was no longer enough.
Despite the controversial team orders, Mostert’s sacrifice and Wood’s own efforts throughout the race, De Pasquale was back in position to advance.
Things only got worse for the Kiwi when Cooper Murray also came into the pits from inside the top ten, rejoining behind De Pasquale and promoting the Team 18 driver to 14th. That effectively sealed Wood’s fate.
After everything that unfolded, two late pit stops by other competitors ultimately helped De Pasquale secure his place at Sandown.
Wood had done everything his team had asked, and Mostert had surrendered a podium to help him, but it still wasn’t enough. While Finals Series drama unfolded behind him, Feeney stayed in complete control out front.
With Kostecki unable to close the gap, Feeney eventually stretched his advantage to more than six seconds, taking a commanding victory in the second and final race of the Gold Coast 500.
Kostecki finished second, while Mostert reclaimed third from Wood on the final lap.
With Wood’s elimination effectively confirmed, the team reversed its earlier decision, allowing Mostert to recover the podium position and secure additional championship points. Wood crossed the line fourth, a strong result on paper but a bitterly disappointing end to his Finals Series campaign.
Heimgartner completed an outstanding recovery to finish fifth, gaining 11 positions from where he started and earning the distinction of being the race’s biggest mover.
Payne finished sixth, having made his alternative strategy work and comfortably secured the result needed to progress to Sandown. Waters finished seventh, followed by James Golding, Brad Hill and Randle, completing the top ten.
The three Kiwis had a race of completely contrasting fortunes. For Wood, the result will be particularly difficult to swallow.
A fourth-place finish, a teammate willing to surrender a podium, and a team throwing everything at keeping his championship hopes alive still couldn’t overcome the damage to his Finals Series chances over the weekend.
De Pasquale, meanwhile, went from facing elimination after an opening-lap incident to securing his place in the next round, aided by late pit stops elsewhere in the field.
Heimgartner produced arguably one of the afternoon’s strongest recovery drives, turning a disappointing qualifying performance into a top-five finish with an aggressive alternative strategy.
But it was Payne who emerged with the biggest result for New Zealand’s championship hopes. Despite starting 12th, the Grove Racing driver fought his way to sixth and, more importantly, kept his top-of-the-standings position.
With Wood eliminated, Payne is now the only Kiwi remaining in the fight for the 2026 Supercars Championship.
The Gold Coast 500 delivered everything: opening-lap chaos, contrasting pit strategies, controversial team orders, and a Finals Series battle that changed in the closing laps.
For Wood, it ended in heartbreak. For Payne, the championship fight continues.
The Supercars Championship returns on November 6–8 for the Sandown 500, where Payne will look to take another step towards the title.
Header Image: Supercars/Supplied
