How the Supercars championship battle looks ahead of the Gold Coast 500 and Adelaide 500
Two of the most brutal events on the Supercars calendar are set to decide the Supercars champion. Here’s how the title fight looks ahead of the final two rounds.
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The two most bruising rounds of the season will decide Supercars’ new champion.
Arguably the most brutal events on the calendar, the danger-ridden concrete jungles of the Gold Coast and Adelaide street circuits will determine who takes this year’s crown.
Only four drivers remain in mathematical contention for the 2024 Supercars championship with the top three separated by 225 points.
Triple Eight’s Will Brown remains in prime position to claim his first championship, leading the standings over teammate Broc Feeney and Ford pair Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters.
Regardless of the outcome, Supercars will anoint a new champion this year with all four drivers chasing a maiden series crown.
With 600 points still up for grabs across the final two rounds, this is how the championship battle looks ahead of the penultimate round on the Gold Coast this weekend.
1. WILL BROWN – 2538 points
(Triple Eight/Chevrolet Camaro)
Wins – 4, Poles – 2
Brown remains in the box seat to claim a maiden Supercars championship, but he has his younger teammate breathing down his neck. The 26-year-old Toowoomba pilot emerged from his endurance campaign alongside Scott Pye with a win at the Sandown 500 and a third-place finish at the Bathurst 1000. Not only did Brown retain his series lead after the two biggest races of the year, but he also slightly extended it. Brown can seal the championship on the Gold Coast if he is more than 300 points clear at the end of the round on the streets of Surfers Paradise. Stepping into the seat vacated by three-time series champion Shane van Gisbergen, Brown has led the championship since the last race at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park and has been the embodiment of consistency, only finishing outside of the top-10 once.
2. BROC FEENEY – 2334 points
(Triple Eight/Chevrolet Camaro)
Wins – 5, Poles – 4
The Triple Eight young gun improved his standing in the Supercars championship behind Brown after finishing runner-up alongside his co-driver and team principal Jamie Whincup behind Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood at the Bathurst 1000. Feeney arrived at Mount Panorama third in the championship behind Brown and Chaz Mostert, but has leapfrogged his Ford rival to move up to second. The 22-year-old closed the gap to his teammate from 222 points to 204 after he also emerged from the endurance rounds with a pair of podiums, finishing second at Sandown. Brown’s level of consistency is going to make overrunning his teammate difficult, but Feeney is a young driver in a hurry to get to the top and will not be taking a back seat in his own title quest.
3. CHAZ MOSTERT – 2313 points
(Walkinshaw Andretti United/Ford Mustang)
Wins – 3, Poles – 2
Still chasing his first Supercars crown to sit alongside his two Bathurst 1000 wins, Mostert slipped to third in the standings after finishing fifth behind the Triple Eight contenders at the Bathurst 1000. Ford’s best title hope was 189 points behind Brown before Bathurst, but the margin to the series leader is now 225 points. After a run of five straight podiums, Mostert’s title pursuit has slipped a gear after finishing off the dais the past three races. But in a round which augurs well for the final two events, Mostert snagged a pair of podiums (second and third) in what was a strong weekend for Ford at the last circuit the Supercars field tackled this season in Townsville.
4. CAM WATERS – 2071 points
(Tickford Racing/Ford Mustang)
Wins – 3, Poles – 5
Trailing Brown by 467 points, Waters is still mathematically in the championship equation with 600 points still up for grabs even if his chances are slim. Waters finished just off the podium (fourth) at the Bathurst 1000, unable to reduce his margin to Brown. Waters would need everything to go his way and his rivals to falter if he was to have any chance of closing the gap, but he has street circuit form on his side going into the round on the Gold Coast. The Tickford ace won the opening race at Surfers Paradise last year and also won the first race on the Townsville street circuit this year. He has the edge over the field as Supercars’ top qualifier this year.
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Originally published as How the Supercars championship battle looks ahead of the Gold Coast 500 and Adelaide 500
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