Kostecki blitzes qualifying, Randle front row

Championship leader Brodie Kostecki has crushed the field in Race 20 qualifying at the OTR SuperSprint, with Thomas Randle scoring a front row start.

Kostecki, who last weekend made a NASCAR Cup Series cameo at Indianapolis, put nearly 0.4s on his closest rival after a one-lap shootout to end ARMOR ALL Qualifying.

The #99 Coca-Cola Camaro driver’s 1:49.5816s was 0.3668s ahead of the impressive Randle (#55 Castrol Mustang), who topped Practice 1 earlier in the day.

Randle knocked Tickford Racing teammate Cam Waters (#6 Monster Energy Mustang) off the front row, with Waters to start third alongside Broc Feeney (#88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro).

It was a sensational recovery by Kostecki, who after being 12th in Practice 2, is in the box seat to extend his series lead with teammate Will Brown (#9 Coca-Cola Camaro) only eighth.

"I couldn't believe what I rolled out for qualifying, the car felt awesome, obviously the time reflects that," Kostecki said.

"It's a big credit to the whole team, 12th in Practice 2, I wasn't a happy camper. Happy to redeem myself."

Chaz Mostert (#25 Mobil 1 Optus Mustang) and Shane van Gisbergen (#97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro) will share the third row for Race 20, which will start at 4:30pm local time.

Qualifying featured a stumble for the Shell V-Power Racing Team, with Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale dropping to 13th and 14th after a strategy gamble.

Kostecki was the pace-setter in Q1 with a 1:50.1580s, with Heimgartner second ahead of Matt Payne (#19 Penrite Mustang), Brown, Jack Le Brocq (#34 Truck Assist Mustang), Davison (#17 Shell V-Power Mustang) and De Pasquale (#11 Shell V-Power Mustang).

Van Gisbergen, who was 25th and 24th in the two practice sessions amid handling concerns, jumped to seventh before being dropped to ninth by the end of Q1.

Waters and Mostert were 24th and 25th ahead of the final runs, and improved to 10th and 13th by the chequered flag as the top seven remained in the lane.

It was a frustrating outing for Team 18, with Scott Pye (#20 bp Ulitmate Camaro) first to miss a Q2 berth — by 0.0057s — with teammate Mark Winterbottom (#18 DEWALT Camaro) only 23rd. Todd Hazelwood (#3 CoolDrive Mustang), Jack Smith (#4 SCT Logistics Camaro) and Declan Fraser (#56 TRADIE Mustang) also failed to progress.

Davison clocked a 1:50.4746s to open Q2 proceedings, with Andre Heimgartner (#8 R&J Batteries Camaro), De Pasquale, Kostecki and Brown within 0.2s of the #17 Ford.

DJR's Q2 gamble backfired

Van Gisbergen’s frustrations continued when he bowled a wide at Turn 17 on his first flying lap, and was 18th as all drivers — bar Nick Percat (#2 Mobil 1 NTI Mustang) and Macauley Jones (#96 Pizza Hut Camaro) — had set a representative time. Waters, meanwhile, was 12th, with Feeney 14th.

The field — bar both Shell V-Power Fords — rolled out with four minutes remaining in Q2, with Feeney released into the path of a racy Mostert, who challenged the #88 Camaro to the pit exit line.

Nearly all drivers improved — Kostecki going top with a 1:49.8622s — dropping Davison and De Pasquale to 13th and 14th. Payne continued his good form in third ahead of Waters, Le Brocq, Heimgartner, van Gisbergen, Mostert and Randle.

Brown escaped a Q2 knockout in 10th, with Percat just 0.0581s back in 11th.

Feeney and Randle went off sequence to begin Q3 and clocked respective 1:50.3700s and 1:50.5718s times, with the rest of the field rolling out with four minutes remaining.

It set up a one-lap shootout for pole, with Kostecki leaving his rivals for dead to secure a fifth ARMOR ALL Pole of the season.

James Courtney was 12th in his repaired #5 Snowy River Caravans Mustang following his crash in Practice 2.

The 20-lap Race 20 will commence at 4:30pm local time/5:00pm AEST.