Finals Watch: Payne's huge jump, Percat stung by shocker

Matt Payne was the biggest winner on the track and in the Repco Sprint Cup standings after a stunning two-win performance at the ITM Taupō Super 440.

The Penrite Racing driver has closed to 46 points of leader Will Brown, winning Race 8 and Race 10 to top the weekend point score and take out the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.

While his podium streak came to an end, reigning championship Brown did put 27 points on closest rival Cam Waters across the New Zealand weekend.

The fight has closed up at the top, with Brown, Waters, Payne, Broc Feeney, Chaz Mostert and Brodie Kostecki covered by just 111 points.

Brown did also avoid a potential time penalty over a post-race investigation, which could have handed the lead back to Waters, and closed the top six even more.

All 10 drivers in the Finals will have their championship points reset, with standings from the regular season then defining the regular season bonus points. As it stands, Brown would earn a buffer by winning the Repco Sprint Cup.

The top six are now well clear of the cut-line, which is occupied by Brad Jones Racing driver Andre Heimgartner, who claimed three top 10s.

Matt Stone Racing driver Nick Percat was the biggest loser, dropping from 10th to 14th overall, and 117 points behind Heimgartner. Percat and Heimgartner were level on points heading to New Zealand, with Percat ahead courtesy of a higher race finish.

Percat was 17th after Sydney, but claimed two podiums in Melbourne to jump to 10th. However, a terrible run to 20th for the weekend not only dropped Percat out of the 10, but also put him well behind teammate Cameron Hill.

For the purposes of this exercise, MSR wildcard Cameron Crick has been omitted, given only primary drivers are eligible for the Finals.

See where your favourite driver sits relative to 10th place in our table below.

The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440 on May 9-11. Tickets are on sale now.

2025 Finals Watch after Round 3

After 2025 ITM Taupō Super 440