A third-straight Supercars title is almost Scott McLaughlin’s after the Ford flyer extended his championship lead at the Tailem Bend Supersprint.
McLaughlin claimed the final race of the weekend on Sunday, cantering to his 11th win of the season after dominating from pole.
The 27-year-old’s superb drive was all the more satisfying with teammate Fabian Coulthard crossing the line two seconds behind to make it a Shell V-Power one-two.
Holden rival Jamie Whincup pinched third place, but finishing 19th and 17th in the round’s first two races proved costly for his title aspirations.
McLaughlin increased his points advantage from 143 to 215 at the South Australian circuit as Whincup’s hopes of a record eighth championship appear shot.
If he can extend the buffer to at least 300 points during three more races at The Bend next weekend, McLaughlin will enter the Bathurst 1000 season finale with an unassailable lead.
“If we come out of next weekend with over 200 points, it really sets us up for Bathurst,” McLaughlin said.
“If we have a clean run, we should be OK, but we’ll see what happens.
“It’s been a pretty whirlwind end to the championship, I’m sure it’s going to get even more dramatic which is great for everyone at home.”
Veterans James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom were caught up in an early tangle and failed to finish race three.
Holden’s Winterbottom was frustrated with his crushed Commodore ending up in the garage, saying it “caps off a pretty shithouse weekend”.
Earlier, Red Bull Holden’s Shane Van Gisbergen continued his 2020 fightback after winning a third Supercars race from his past four starts.
He endured a forgettable season full of near-misses until breaking through for two victories on the final day of the second Townsville SuperSprint two weeks ago.
TAILEM BEND SUPERSPRINT RACE TWO
1. Shane van Gisbergen (Holden)
2. Andre Heimgartner (Ford)
3. Scott McLaughlin (Ford)
4. Fabian Coulthard (Ford)
5. Anton de Pasquale (Holden)
TAILEM BEND SUPERSPRINT RACE THREE
1. Scott McLaughlin
2. Fabian Coulthard
3. Jamie Whincup (Holden)
4. Anton de Pasquale
5. Cameron Waters (Ford)
SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Scott McLaughlin 2062 pts
2. Jamie Whincup 1847
3. Cameron Waters 1577
4. Shane van Gisbergen 1555
5. Chaz Mostert (Holden) 1524
