Kostecki storms back into title contention with Townsville victory
Brodie Kostecki claimed his sixth win of the 2026 Supercars season in Race 22, returning to the championship’s top three.
Kostecki started alongside pole-sitter Cam Waters but dropped to third during an opening sequence. Ryan Wood swept around the outside at Turn 2 and briefly challenged Waters before the Tickford driver fought back at Turn 3.
Credit: Samuel Densley Photography
Behind, contact triggered incidents during the opening lap. Aaron Cameron was spun in the pack, Andre Heimgartner was forced off after contact with Cooper Murray, and Macauley Jones became trapped behind Cameron then hit by Reuben Goodall.
The Safety Car was deployed before the first lap ended, with Cameron, Jones and Heimgartner retiring. Murray also received a 15-second penalty after spinning James Golding at Turn 11 while the intervention was called.
Waters controlled the restart, but Kostecki passed Wood on Lap 8 and began closing on the leader. Dick Johnson Racing brought Kostecki into the pits at the end of Lap 16, with championship leader Matt Payne following him into the lane.
Waters remained on track until Lap 25, but the longer opening stint proved costly. Kostecki and Payne gained significant time through the undercut, leaving the #17 Ford with a six-second advantage while Waters emerged nine seconds behind.
Waters recovered to pass Payne on Lap 38, setting up an intriguing final pit-stop cycle. Payne stopped on Lap 42, while Kostecki completed his final service six laps later.
Waters and Kai Allen pitted on Lap 50, but both suffered costly delays. A slow tyre change and incomplete fuel fill dropped Waters from podium contention and forced him into heavy fuel conservation. Allen was returned to the jacks when his left-front wheel was not secured correctly.
Kostecki emerged from the final stops with a four-second lead and increased his advantage. He crossed the line nearly 10 seconds clear, sending a strong message after missing the final race of the previous Darwin round.
Payne finished second and extended his championship lead to 92 points. Waters recovered to claim third despite his fuel concerns, moving past Chaz Mostert during the closing stages.
Mostert finished fourth in his 200th start for Walkinshaw TWG Racing, ahead of Wood, Broc Feeney, Allen and Will Brown. Jack Le Brocq and Jayden Ojeda completed the top ten.
The victory moved Kostecki ahead of Waters into third in the standings and confirmed the 2023 champion remains firmly involved in the 2026 title fight.