Payne wins at Sandown as Supercars final four confirmed
Anton De Pasquale missed the Adelaide title decider despite finishing second, while Chaz Mostert advanced after climbing from 11th to fifth.
Matt Payne will enter the Supercars grand final in Adelaide as top seed after winning the final Sandown semi-final race. Chaz Mostert, Broc Feeney and Brodie Kostecki also qualified for the four-driver championship decider.
Team 18’s Anton De Pasquale needed victory to advance but could not catch Payne, leaving him outside the final four despite taking second place. Reigning champion Mostert finished fifth after starting 11th.
Lapped traffic delayed Payne with three laps remaining, allowing De Pasquale to close in. Grove Racing boss Stephen Grove said the team remained focused on winning rather than allowing De Pasquale through to eliminate Mostert.
The result followed another missed opportunity for De Pasquale at the Bathurst 1000, where he ran out of fuel while leading on the final lap. He said he was proud of the season and would aim for race wins in Adelaide.
Kostecki won Saturday’s Sandown race and has a championship-leading nine victories this season. Payne returns to the title contest after missing last year’s grand final.
