Supercars | 2026 Darwin | Race 19 | De Pasquale Claims Victory

A crucial undercut let Anton De Pasquale secure his second victory of the season in Race 19 of the 2026 Supercars Championship in Darwin.

In a tight 200km race, the second pitstop allowed the Team18 driver onto the top step of the podium. Penrite’s Matt Payne had to settle for second, while a late Safety Car allowed pole sitter Cam Waters to claim his second podium of the weekend.

So far this weekend…

Supercars returned to the Northern Territory with Brodie Kostecki claiming pole for Race 17 ahead of Anton De Pasquale and Matt Payne, while championship leader Broc Feeney struggled in qualifying and started 13th. In the race, Cam Waters used strong pace and strategy to take his first Supercars win since February 2025, overtaking Kostecki through the pit-stop cycle and holding on after a late Safety Car restart. Allen finished second, Matt Payne third, Kostecki fell to fourth, and Feeney recovered only to 14th.

After a strong qualifying performance, Cam Waters claimed pole position for Race 18, his first pole since the opening round of 2025. Brodie Kostecki lined up alongside him after another impressive showing despite battling illness. In the race, Waters led the early stages, but Kai Allen surged forward from fifth on the grid and passed the Tickford driver on lap 41 before extending his advantage through the final pit-stop cycle. Allen went on to secure a dominant second Supercars victory of the season by more than eight seconds, with Waters finishing second and Kostecki completing the podium in third. 

Dramatic end to Darwin

Race 19 qualifying was a dramatic turnaround in the battle for the Darwin Triple Crown, with Cam Waters producing a brilliant lap in the Top Ten Shootout to claim back-to-back poles at Hidden Valley. Waters capitalised on a disappointing qualifying session for Kai Allen, who could only manage 12th on the grid, giving the Tickford driver a prime opportunity to secure the Triple Crown. Matt Payne and Anton De Pasquale locked out the top three.

Off the track, the biggest story was Brodie Kostecki being ruled out of the remainder of the event due to illness, with Todd Hazelwood called in as a late replacement. Further down the pit lane, Thomas Randle’s cool-suit issues led Tickford to substitute veteran Mark Winterbottom for the weekend finale.

Lights out in Darwin

Lights went out for the final time in Darwin and it was Waters who hung onto his lead. With Payne and De Pasquale settling for the podium positions, it was Chaz Mostert who charged passed Feeney for fourth. After a poor qualifying, Allen was quick to make up places, jumping up to ninth after the opening lap. Declan Fraser was dropped to the back of the pack after a nudge from Hazelwood at Turn 5 sent him spinning.

With the field settling into the 70 lap race, Waters and Payne began to pull away from De Pasquale. In the midfield, Rylan Gray made a sweeping pass on Aaron Cameron to move his Mustang into sixteenth. Jayden Ojeda was the first driver be called into the pits, ahead of Hazelwood one lap later on Lap 12. After being stuck behind Jack Le Brocq in ninth, Allen was also one of the early pit stops, coming in at the end of Lap 13.

With Payne closing in on the lead, it wasn’t long until the Kiwi cleared Waters. Coming down the main straight on Lap 16, Payne lunged into the lead. Mostert was the first of the lead group into the lane, pitting on Lap 17, coming out behind Allen. Feeney pitted one lap later to cover the charging Penrite, forcing a string of pitstops from De Pasquale and Waters.

Pit Lane Reshuffle

The powerful undercut caused havoc on the field. With De Pasquale coming out ahead of Waters, a slower pitstop from Payne left the Team18 Chevrolet in the lead of Race 19. Waters was quickly able to clear Payne, while Feeney continued his charge just outside of podium positions.

Further back, it was a Blanchard Racing Team battle, with Cameron and James Golding trading places in fifth and sixth before their pitstops. Back at the net lead, Payne was once again on Waters’ bumper. Behind them, Mostert passed Allen at Turn 5. On Lap 26, Zach Bates sent a cloud of dust into the air, with the rookie braking late and running wide at Turn 1. After a late call up, a costly mistake sent Winterbottom to the back of the field, stalling in the pits.

Allen’s early pitstop proved unlucky, with yesterday’s race winner falling behind Will Brown in eighth. Mostert was next on Brown’s charge, with the former champion passing the current on the exit of the final corner. At the halfway point, it was Payne who retook second position, passing Waters at Turn 1. 

Undercut proved crucial for De Pasquale

After a pitstop from Payne, De Pasquale pulled in on Lap 45 for his second pit stop. Coming out seconds ahead of Payne, the race leader managed to hold on, with his attention on the final 25 laps. Behind them, it was Wood and Allen who pulled into the pit at identical times, the two coming out ahead of Le Brocq. Allen was able to make the jump on Mostert after the Walkinshaw Supra stalled in the pits, Feeney was able to pass the pair, holding onto fourth. Pitting in three laps later proved costly for Waters, who was now in a battle with Feeney to hold onto his podium. Half a lap later, the pair were in a heated battle, trading places through the back half of the lap. 

Passing the back markers proved crucial, with Payne being held up by Cameron with 17 laps to go. In the midfield, Bates and Gray continued their battle, with the Bendix Chevrolet picking up a ten second time penalty after ran the Shell V Power Mustang off track. Gray continued to suffer, dropping behind Macauley Jones and Golding. Brown’s fresher tyres forced a position switch at Triple Eight, with Feeney dropping behind into fifth. 

Drama at the finish

While Waters was out of contention to challenge for the lead, the hunt was on for Brown to catch him. With less than one second separating the Red Bull Mustang from the pole sitter, the last seven laps were bound to be tight. However, an engine failure from Chaz Mostert left him stranded with four laps to go. The reigning champion, who was sitting it seventh, had smoke plummeting out of his Supra, bringing out the Safety Car. 

With two laps to go, the potential for a one lap dash was on. As Mostert’s car was towed away, the Race 19 was set for finish under the Safety Car. As the field trickled past the checkered flag, it was De Pasquale who claimed his second victory of the season. Payne claimed his second podium of the weekend, while Waters third place secured himself the 2026 Darwin Triple Crown by 18 points. 

Triple Eight Racing had to settle off the podium, with Brown and Feeney collecting fourth and fifth. A comeback drive from Allen saw him move up six places in sixth. Wood finished ahead of Le Brocq in seventh, while Hill and Reynolds both picked up crucial championship points in the top ten.

In the Drivers standings, Feeney retains his lead, 15 points ahead of Payne, while Kostecki’s absence proved crucial as he dropped behind Waters for third. A dominant weekend for Grove’s Penrith Racing has them sitting at the top of the Teams Championship, 29 points ahead of Triple Eight.

Final Supercars Race 19 classification and results from Darwin

1. De Pasquale
2. Payne
3. Waters
4. Brown
5. Feeney
6. Allen
7. Wood
8. Le Brocq
9. Hill
10. Reynolds
11. Heimgartner
12. Hazelwood
13. Ojeda
14. Golding
15. Jones
16. Cameron
17. Gray
18. Fraser
19. Stewart
20. Murray
21. Bates
22. Winterbottom
23. Walls
24. Mostert

The 2026 Supercars Championship returns next month at the NTI Townsville 500 on the 10th until the 12th of July. With one a few races left in the Sprint Cup, Townsville will be crucial to decide the who gets automatic qualification into the 2026 Finals Series.