Kostecki Wins, Mostert Cuts Championship Lead

Brodie Kostecki rewarded the faith that Dick Johnson Racing has put in him, winning $50,000 dollars as the heavens opened on a wet Friday afternoon.  

After the race was pushed back 10 minutes due to the weather, it was on from the very beginning as championship leader Broc Feeney lined up on pole position alongside one of his rivals, Chaz Mostert.

On lap two, Feeney’s teammate, Will Brown had his car spun by Tom Randle, an act in which the Tickford driver was rewarded with an additional 15 seconds on his race time.  However, Brown’s recovery drive to ninth kept the reigning champions back-to-back bid alive.      

Ahead the carnage continued, as Cam Waters and Brodie Kostecki had a robust exchange when Kostecki threw his car down the inside to sit behind Mostert.

Moments later, Feeney went wide into turn four on lap three, as Mostert slipped into the lead, however the Mustang wasn’t in front for very long, as Kostecki moved his car past Mostert, the championship protagonist electing to let the 2023 champion through.  

“Considering I was head on into a wall in qualifying again, I'd say it probably ended pretty well to be honest,” said Kostecki.

“I’m glad to cap today off with a win and $50,000 as well was pretty cool.

“I was able to race the guys in front of me and you know I think get the lead by lap four or five or something and and just control the pace from there.”

Mostert admitted that in the early stages of the race, he didn’t have the pace to go with the DJR car.

“I was trying to go with Broc (Feeney) the best I could and keep the pressure on and then I end up getting to lead the race for I think all about maybe three corners,” he said.

“But this big red Mustang behind me looked really fast at that part of the race.

“I didn't really have much for him at that stage, but when it dried out a bit, our car got a bit better, which was nice.”

Mostert’s teammate, Ryan Wood, got past Feeney to see the 20 point gap fall to 13, with two days, and more importantly, two races, left in 2025.  

“I think this weekend was always going to be tough with three races because every single race counts,” Mostert said.

“Then you throw the the weather in the mix, it was it was like going to be a really tough one.”

The race ended when Randle triggered the safety car when he hit the wall at turn eight.  The contact moved the concrete barrier nearly a metre, and the race was red flagged. 

Eventually due to the damage, the final 10 laps were abandoned. 

“I think they made the right call,” said Wood.

“You have smart people in the recovery car driving around and I think they saw the rain coming down just as much as we did and it got pretty glassy straight away once they were trying to recover Randle’s car.

“You got a pack of cars together on a track that was soaking wet at the end.

“We want a spectacle, but we also want everyone to keep racing as the weekend goes on.”