TOWNSVILLE, Australia — Matt Payne became the seventh different winner of the Repco Supercars Championship season after winning Sunday’s NTI Townsville 500.
The Penrite Racing driver elected for a three-stop strategy during the 88-lap race at Reid Park, which proved to be the winning one as he led an all-Ford podium ahead of Saturday’s winner Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert.
Race 14 of the Supercars schedule was broadcast LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1.Â
“Awesome, unbelievable, we’ve had a tough couple of rounds lately,” Payne said. “I knew we had a good race car yesterday, my final stint pace was really strong, so to put it all together today and try and replicate that with a different strategy from the team was absolutely wicked.
“I can’t thank them enough, they gave me an awesome car, and I’m just happy to put it where it belongs. There was no backing off, with our strategy we were pushing the whole way. Tough work, but very rewarding.”
It was the 21-year-old’s second career victory, with his first coming last year at the VAILO Adelaide 500.Â
The championship standings were massively effected during the race as points leader Will Brown crashed on the first lap after contact with David Reynolds. That forced Brown to finish 24th, last place.
Brown’s Red Bull Ampol Camaro teammate Broc Feeney finished seventh, cutting Brown’s points gap from 141 to 78 markers. Mostert sits third in the standings, 174 points back while Waters also gained in fourth, now 389 points behind.Â