Feeney’s dream maiden win in ’22 closer
By Timothy Neal
Date posted: 4 December 2022
This Supercars race coverage proudly brought to you by Gates.
The season ended with Broc Feeney claiming his maiden career victory as Supercars shut the door on another generation, with Holden laying claim to a fitting pair in its farewell.
Feeney held his nerve over a pressuring Chaz Mostert, with Anton De Pasquale taking P3 after Shane van Gisbergen sensationally got a late drive through penalty.
At 20-years-old, that makes Feeney the second youngest ever driver to win a Supercars race, and the youngest at an Adelaide 500.
The 2022 Supercars finale got underway with a DJR front row lockout, and an all Triple Eight Holden second row, and yesterday’s winner sharing the third row with Tickford’s Cam Waters.
De Pasquale took the first turn over his DJR teammate, whilst van Gisbergen got the jump on Feeney for P3 in an incident free jump.
Waters pinched P5 over Mostert in the battle for outright second in the championship, with a condensed field down to Smith in P25, with Brodie Kostecki the biggest early jumper with four spots into P10.
There was chaos in the pit lane with Shane van Gisbergen, Anton De Pasquale and Chaz Mostert getting too close for comfort. Image: Mark Horsburgh/EDGE Photographics
Percat and B.Kostecki took the early pits with only two seconds splitting the top four, with that gap closing across the top ten by lap 11 with the top six looking strong with Feeney, Waters and Mostert in P4-6 with Feeney then pitting on lap 12.
Davison pitted on 13 and re-entered in P15 over the #88, leaving van Gisbergen in P2, +2.217 behind the #11 DJR with Waters in P3.
Jake Kostecki triggered a safety with 61 laps remaining, ripping his wheel off after clobbering the turn 8 wall, dislodging his front left.
De Pasquale then preserved his track position on van Gisbergen coming out of the pits, with Davison and Feeney taking the lead with a fuel-load advantage, with the #11 and #1 in P3 and P5 with Reynolds in four.
The green flag went at lap 22, with Davison out-front but out of kerb strikes with Feeney on his bumper, and SVG losing spots to P8 after getting boxed in.
Shane van Gisbergen completed his crushing 2022 Supercars Championship win. Broc Feeney held off Chaz Mostert across the full 29 lap green flag run to the end to score his maiden win. Image: Mark Horsburgh/EDGE Photographics
Davison then went wide at turn 9, having looked loose in the rear since the restart, gifting #88 the lead on lap 25.
Lap 30 had a top-seven breakaway developing, with less than five seconds between Mostert in P7 and Feeney in P1, who held a +1.958 split to Davison with fuel loads to prove telling by lap 40.
Van Gisbergen meanwhile was diving his way into P4 with De Pasquale in his sights who was also making time on Davison.
Davison went off at the nightmare turn 11, putting him into P10 with Feeney inheriting a five second lead to De Pasquale on lap 41, with De Pasquale then locking his tyres to let van Gisbergen through into P2 for easy pickings.
The chaos ensued with Fullwood hitting the turn 8 wall, leading to a litany of pit stops for refuelling, with Triple Eight having to stack, hurting SVG’s chances with a chaotic scene unfolding with Mostert and De Pasquale almost colliding to get an advantage on the exit.
That left Feeney in P1 over Mostert and De Pasquale, over Waters and Heimgartner with van Gisbergen in P11 for the sprint home.
Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison locked out the front row of the 2022 season finale. Image: Mark Horsburgh/EDGE Photographics
The lap 49 restart saw Feeney keep his lead with Mostert hot on his wing but the #88 was looking quick.
Trouble at turn 9 saw Davison run off, ending a ropey afternoon for the #17 DJR racer dropping into P22, with Reynolds and Courtney also getting caught up.
Feeney was looking strong for his maiden Supercars win, keeping Mostert at a second’s advantage with 24 laps left.
Waters went wide trying to take De Pasquale, parting the seas for SVG who was on a charge, putting him in P4, only +1.066s off P3.
With 18 laps left, van Gisbergen was pestering De Pasquale and was in sight of the leading pair as he took him at the hairpin for P3 making it an all Holden provisional podium, with Feeney still in control.
Van Gisbergen soaking in the 2022 championship victory, jumping on the roof with his throttle still on. Image: Edge Photographics
To add to the drama, van Gisbergen was then called by race control for his safety car restart with an apex overlap in question, forcing him to endure a drive-through penalty to lose his hard fought podium challenge, coming out in P13, dropping De Pasquale into P3.
10 laps remaining had Feeney and Mostert on a tow-rope with #88 keeping his nerve with a +1.148 split.
The gap grew smaller by the tenths with 5 laps left and Feeney keeping it clean with Mostert pushing hard.
With one lap left, Feeney looked good for the fairytale as Mostert just couldn’t find the extra ground in a brilliant and dramatic finish to the season.
Race 34 Top Ten
For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
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