Scott McLaughlin has a fight on his hands for a third-straight Supercars championship with Holden legend Jamie Whincup returning to form.
Red Bull veteran Whincup claimed the final race of the Darwin Triple Crown on Sunday for his second victory of 2020 and 120th of his glittering career.
The 37-year-old Whincup came out on top in a heavyweight shootout with Ford rival McLaughlin to be crowned the round winner at Hidden Valley.
Whincup’s first win since February’s season-opening Adelaide 500 denied championship leader McLaughlin back-to-back race victories.
The Shell V-Power ace earned his third pole of the weekend, but Whincup pipped the two-time defending champion after completing his only pit-stop of the 38-lap race.
“That was a great battle and reminded me of the old 2017-18 days when we’d be going head-to-head,” Whincup said.
“It was resilience. We kept chipping away at the car all weekend, made it faster for race three.
“After the penalty (in race one), I thought we were done and dusted for the Triple Crown but a fantastic day.”
It was a successful race for Triple Eight, with Shane van Gisbergen finishing third behind teammate Whincup and rival McLaughlin.
Earlier on Sunday, McLaughlin’s 48th career victory took him joint-fifth on the all-time Supercars race wins list, alongside the legendary Peter Brock.
McLaughlin dominated the first of the day’s two races, only briefly relinquishing his lead from pole.
The New Zealander made up for a disastrous 20th-place finish in Saturday’s race, which Penrite Racing young gun Anton de Pasquale secured for his maiden career win.
Supercars teams will remain in the Northern Territory ahead of next weekend’s Darwin Supersprint.
DARWIN TRIPLE CROWN RACE THREE RESULTS
1. Jamie Whincup (Holden)
2. Scott McLaughlin (Ford)
3. Shane van Gisbergen (Holden)
4. Chaz Mostert (Holden)
5. Fabian Coulthard (Ford)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Scott McLaughlin 1024 pts
2. Jamie Whincup 923
3. Chaz Mostert 814
4. Shane van Gisbergen 753
5. David Reynolds (Holden) 736
