The 2026 Supercars Championship headed to the streets of Townsville for Round 7, with three races producing three different winners. Cam Waters, Matt Payne and Brodie Kostecki each stood on the top step, while the championship battle tightened heading into the second half of the season.
Kostecki and Waters battle on Friday
Brodie Kostecki set the pace early in Townsville, securing pole position for Race 20 after a disrupted qualifying session that featured a red flag. The Dick Johnson Racing driver edged out Cam Waters at the front, with Matt Payne and Chaz Mostert completing the top four. It was another difficult qualifying session for Triple Eight, with both Broc Feeney and Will Brown starting well outside the usual front-running positions.
Kostecki initially looked set to convert pole into victory, but Waters had other ideas. The Tickford Racing driver kept the pressure on throughout the race before making his move in the closing stages. A tense final-lap battle saw Waters hold off Kostecki by just 0.200 seconds to claim the second victory of the season.
Payne completed the podium in third, while Feeney produced a strong recovery drive from 16th to finish inside the top ten. The result also saw the championship lead change hands, setting up an even bigger fight for the remaining two races.
Kostecki dominated Saturday
Kostecki continued his impressive qualifying form on Saturday, once again putting his Mustang on pole for Race 21. This time, Payne was alongside him on the front row after the Top Ten Shootout, with Thomas Randle and Ryan Wood filling the second row. Triple Eight’s qualifying struggles continued, with neither Feeney nor Brown making it into the Shootout.
The race belonged to Payne. Starting from second, the Penrite Racing driver stayed close to Kostecki through the opening stint before a slow pit stop for the DJR driver changed the complexion of the race. Payne took advantage of the opportunity and never looked back, building a huge advantage at the front to win by more than 15 seconds.
Anton De Pasquale delivered one of the drives of the race, charging from ninth on the grid to finish second, while Kostecki recovered to third and Waters crossed the line fourth.
Further down the field, tensions boiled over between Ryan Wood and Kai Allen after the pair came together during a fierce battle. Wood was visibly frustrated over team radio, making the incident one of the biggest talking points from Saturday’s race.
Payne recovers on Sunday
The final day of the Townsville 500 began with Waters finally breaking Kostecki’s qualifying streak. The Tickford driver took pole for Race 22, putting himself in the best possible position to finish the weekend with a second victory. Kostecki lined up alongside him, with Payne and the rest of the front-runners close behind.
Kostecki bounced back when it mattered most. After starting from the front row, the DJR driver used the pit-stop cycle to move ahead of Waters and took control of the race. From there, he managed the gap to secure his first win of the weekend, with Payne finishing second and Waters third.
The finale was not without drama, with a chaotic opening-lap incident involving Anton De Pasquale and several other cars. James Golding was also involved in a separate incident later in the race, which resulted in a penalty and added to the disorder of the final afternoon.
Kostecki’s victory completed a remarkable weekend for Ford, with Waters, Payne and Kostecki taking one win each across the three races. Payne’s Saturday victory proved particularly valuable, however, as he left Townsville with the championship lead and momentum heading into the next round.
