Brown vs Feeney, Mostert hangs on: Breaking down the title fight

Will Brown, Broc Feeney and Chaz Mostert have been the leading trio so far this season, with the three drivers holding down the top three positions in the drivers' championship since the very first race.

Brown has taken to Triple Eight like a duck to water, having led the championship since Melbourne in March. However, after a lull, Feeney powered back to form in Darwin.

All the while, Mostert has kept pace and even set the pace in Perth, but costly moments in Melbourne (contact damage), Taupō (loose wheel) and Darwin (poor qualifying) have seen the Walkinshaw Andretti United star lose valuable ground. Still, amid a season of Triple Eight dominance, Mostert remains within striking distance and expects to return to the pointy end in Townsville, where he his chasing his first win.

The three drivers have been filling their trophy cabinets, combining for nine of the season's 12 wins, six of the 12 poles, and have filled 24 of the 36 podium positions. However, they haven't filled a podium since Race 5 in Melbourne.

Triple Eight has a great record in Townsville with 22 wins from 38 starts, so expectations for the championship leaders are sky high. However, Townsville often throws up a surprise or two, and being a street circuit, could open the door for risks and drama for the top three.

So, how did we get here? Supercars.com breaks down how the leading three have raced through the first five rounds heading to the upcoming NTI Townsville 500.

Round 1: Bathurst 500

Triple Eight kicked off the new year with two wins and two poles, but Mostert kept pace across both days and even led the Sunday race before falling behind Brown in the stops. Feeney led Brown and Mostert in Race 1 in a Safety Car finish, before Mostert set the pace on Sunday as Feeney was penalised over a clash with James Golding. Mostert gapped Brown before the two swapped positions in the pits, and with Feeney third, Brown left the Mountain with a nine-point lead.

Race 1: Feeney 1st, Brown 2nd, Mostert 3rd

Race 2: Brown 1st, Mostert 2nd, Feeney 3rd

Round 2: Melbourne

Race 3: Feeney 1st, Brown 2nd, Mostert 4th

Race 4: Brown 1st, Feeney 4th, Mostert 17th

Race 5: Feeney 1st, Brown 2nd, Mostert 3rd

Race 6: Brown 2nd, Feeney 3rd, Mostert 5th

Feeney seized the points lead straight back with victory in the Grand Prix opener, with Mostert dropping from third to fourth. Brown hit back in Race 4, with Feeney making a costly error and Mostert copping a hit en route to 17th. It was the first big hit to Mostert's title bid, with the deficit blowing out from 32 to 83 points. The trio filled the podium in the third race of the weekend, before they all trailed surprise winner Nick Percat in an absorbing finale. Brown claimed overall weekend honours and the Larry Perkins Trophy, but Feeney was just 17 points behind.

Round 3: Taupō

Race 7: Brown 9th, Feeney 21st, Mostert 22nd

Race 8: Brown 1st, Feeney 2nd, Mostert 7th

The wet-weather Taupō opener was a nightmare for all three drivers, with Brown dropping to ninth after leading the field to Turn 1. Feeney was sent into a spin at Turn 1 and slumped to 21st, while WAU threw away a potential win for Mostert after a wheel came loose following his stop. Come Sunday, and Triple Eight were again the class of the field, with Brown sending a warning shot to the rest of the field after overhauling Feeney in a tense battle. Mostert was seventh, losing 103 points in one weekend.

Round 4: Perth

Race 9: Mostert 1st, Brown 3rd, Feeney 5th

Race 10: Mostert 2nd, Brown 3rd, Feeney 7th

Perth was Mostert's time to shine, with the Ford star crossing the line first in both races. A Sunday penalty, over an unsafe release, was the only thing that stopped Mostert, but Brown emerged the best of the two Bulls as Feeney struggled to keep pace. A pair of thirds helped Brown take his lead over Feeney from 71 to 136 points, with the latter only fifth and seventh in the weekend's two races.

Round 5: Darwin

Race 11: Feeney 1st, Brown 3rd, Mostert 5th

Race 12: Feeney 1st, Brown 2nd, Mostert 16th

Feeney stopped the rot in Darwin with a pair of wins and, crucially, took 28 valuable points off Brown's lead. The Race 11 win was Feeney's first finish in front of Brown since Race 5 in Melbourne. Brown had topped Practice 1 and threatened to undo Feeney's Saturday progress with a Sunday provisional pole, but Feeney stunned in the Shootout after initially qualifying eighth. Brown showed signs of speed in the race, but Feeney proved too big an obstacle to overcome. Mostert, meanwhile, had a rollercoaster of a weekend as WAU battled to get the Super Softs working in qualifying. Mostert put together a stunning charge from 22nd to fifth on Saturday, but as the field closed on Sunday, 16th was all he could muster, benching 86 points to Brown.

Breaking down the 2024 title fight

Tickets for the NTI Townsville 500 can be purchased via Supercars.com. Live coverage of Supercars’ annual visit to Townsville can be found on Seven and Foxtel, with live streaming available on 7plus and Kayo. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.