5 key storylines to watch as title fight hits Gold Coast

Just as drivers and teams catch their breath from a rapid Repco Bathurst 1000, it's all systems go for one of the toughest and most gruelling events of the year, the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

It's not the longest track, nor is it the toughest on tyres. However, it puts drivers and cars through the wringer.

Think hot temperatures, teeth-rattling kerbs, high speeds, tricky chicanes, big braking zones, and blind corners. Surfers Paradise has it all, and it's a brutal place to try and challenge for a championship, let alone wins.

That's what's on the line this weekend, with the title within reach for Will Brown. However, those behind will do everything they can to force him into mistakes, at a place he hasn't had the best of luck on previous visits.

Advantage Brown

There's little doubt now that this is Will Brown's championship to lose. In the space of two rounds, Brown's closest rival has gone from being 81 points down, to 204 behind with 600 left to win. Brown has a chance to clinch the crown this weekend, but the Queenslander insists he has to chase wins rather than drive defensively and risk making mistakes. Will it go to plan for Brown, or will his poor previous form on the Gold Coast come back to bite him?

All-out attack

At 204 and 225 points down, Broc Feeney and Chaz Mostert are somewhat in a good position, given they are the chasers. They can apply all the pressure and go all out for wins, forcing Brown to keep an eye on the scoreboard. Feeney hasn't been strong in his two Gold Coast visits, while Mostert is a two-time winner. All told, it's the perfect scenario for Cam Waters, who is well off Brown, but loves street circuits. If Waters can snag a win or two, and the others falter, anything can happen.

Can Kostecki keep it going?

Brodie Kostecki was a revelation at Mount Panorama, keeping the field at arm's length and denying Feeney in a blockbuster run home to show his rivals he truly is the champion. Armed with a fast car and a swag full of confidence, Kostecki could be a handful if he's up the pointy end this weekend. He was a whisker away from victory last year, albeit in controversial circumstances, and is also a pole winner on the Gold Coast. Good drivers don't stay down for long, and he's certainly in form.

Kerbs and crunching cars

Cars took a beating in the lead-up to the Great Race, but on race day, teams and drivers got away with it. Don't expect that this weekend, however. No Gold Coast race has had a 100 percent finish rate, and given the unpredictability of the place, it would take a brave betting man to assume otherwise. Last year's races went down to the wire, with both battles seeing drama at chicanes. Look to lap 1 for chaos as 24 fire-breathing Supercars try and get through the tight chicanes. More often than not, some drivers opt to shortcut the first chicane. Others might try and tough it out, but it usually doesn't end well. Beyond the expected carnage, the chicanes themselves and kerb strikes will be a talking point, given how close drivers toe the line in qualifying. One slip-up, and it could be the difference between starting at the front, and having to claw through the field.

Final pieces of the puzzle

One driver free of distraction now is Richie Stanaway, who last week was officially named at PremiAir Nulon Racing for 2025. On paper, the 2025 grid is now set, barring any changes at Brad Jones Racing. What it does mean is, for now, Mark Winterbottom's 21-year spell as a full-time driver is nearing its end. With his future locked away, Stanaway was one to watch at the Mountain, and is now raring for his first Gold Coast starts since 2019. As for Winterbottom and BJR's drivers, does the Gold Coast offer a chance to impress, or is it business as usual?