Feeney zeros in on points lead with comeback podium
Broc Feeney was “stoked” to salvage an NTI Townsville 500 podium amid his stunning charge into championship contention.
Feeney raced from sixth to second in Saturday’s first 88-lap race, with Erebus Motorsport’s Will Brown winning from pole.
Brown seized the championship lead after another disastrous outing for erstwhile leader Brodie Kostecki, who was classified 19th.
Feeney, however, is the form driver in Supercars, with a sparkling run of form catapulting him into championship contention.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver has scored 747 points in the last eight races dating back to his Race 9 win in Perth.
In that span, he has seven podiums — more than any other driver — including wins in Perth, Tasmania and Darwin.
Heading into Sunday, Feeney is just 44 points from the championship lead — a remarkable comeback given where he was after the start of the season.
Feeney was 166 points down after Newcastle, where he lost his second place due to the Triple Eight disqualification.
He was 146 points down after Melbourne, 215 after Perth, and 191 after Tasmania.
A dominant run in Darwin — where he won the round — saw Feeney close to 91 points of the lead, and now, he is just 44 points away.
Had both Triple Eight Camaros not been disqualified in Newcastle, Feeney would be leading teammate Shane van Gisbergen by 34 points, with Brown and Kostecki 121 and 164 points down respectively.
“It was awesome to come home in second today, especially after qualifying sixth,” Feeney said.
"In the first stint, I did a horrible job with tyre management and burnt them up pretty quickly, and I don’t know how the team saved me there, but they had a great strategy which is key in these long races.
"I felt a bit stronger in the second and third stints, and to walk away with second today, I’m pretty stoked with that.
"I was nearly asking for a change in that first stint, but as the race went on, the car got better.
"I probably adjusted too much in the second stint and I started to get gapped, but towards the end I caught Dave (Reynolds) and was matching Will (Brown).
"Overall, I’m really stoked – to come from sixth to second is a good points haul for the team.
"Our aim is to continue getting consistently good results and being on the podium which for us has been awesome. Today was a great comeback from not a great qualifying.”
Supercars will return to the track for ARMOR ALL Qualifying at 10:00am AEST on Sunday, ahead of the Shootout at 12:00pm.
The NTI Townsville 500 will conclude at 2:40pm with the final 88-lap race of the weekend, Race 17.
