The Bend Supercars: McLaughlin one point from title
Scott McLaughlin only needs to outscore Jamie Whincup by a single point this afternoon to seal the 2020 Supercars title, after a dominant win in the second heat at The Bend.

McLaughlin was beaten off the line by teammate Fabian Coulthard at the start of the 32-lapper, the pole-sitter even needing to defend into Turn 1 to keep Whincup at bay.
However, once the early challenge from Whincup was contained, the two Penske Fords executed an inevitable switch, Coulthard rolling out of the throttle on Lap 7 to gift the lead to McLaughlin.
From there it looked like a cakewalk for the points leader, who took his mandatory service on Lap 12 and faced an easy run home with Coulthard in the rear gunner role.
That was until Lap 22, when both Coulthard and David Reynolds rolled to a stop with their own driveline problems, not only costing McLaughlin the protection of his teammate, but also his margin thanks to the deployment of the safety car.
The six-lap dash home proved simple enough, however, McLaughlin comfortably able to hold off Anton De Pasquale and Cam Waters to take a 56th career victory, which moves him clear into fourth on the all-time winners list.
Even better for McLaughlin was that Whincup slumped to seventh in the race thanks to a pitstop issue, which means he only needs to outscore the T8 driver by one point in this afternoon's finale to seal the title with a round to go.
"It's a bummer about Fabs, we were on for a one-two there," said McLaughlin.
"Huge team game by Shell V-Power Racing, Fabs took it on the chin to let me go at the start. I really appreciate that. He had a great car and a great start.
"We'll make sure we dot our i's and cross out t's. If we can get it done today, that'd be fantastic. If we don't, we'll put ourselves in the best position come Bathurst."
Having run third in the first stint, Whincup was delayed at his stop when he ran over an air hose on his way into the box. That meant his service took 6.6s, Whincup re-emerging down in sixth.
The safety car didn't go his way, either, teammate Shane van Gisbergen opting to stop for four tyres for a charge to the flag. That meant he was able to chase Whincup down, Triple Eight giving the Kiwi the green light to pass the #88 entry, despite it robbing Whincup of points.
Van Gisbergen managed to climb all the way to fifth, passing Rick Kelly, Whincup, Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat in the last six laps. He managed to get onto the back of fourth-placed James Courtney, too, but the veteran was too solid in his defence on the final lap.
# | Driver | Time | Gap | Interval |
---|---|---|---|---|
17 | | - | ||
99 | | 1.127 | 1.128 | 1.128 |
6 | | 1.769 | 1.770 | 0.642 |
44 | | 2.816 | 2.817 | 1.047 |
97 | | 3.144 | 3.144 | 0.327 |
8 | | 3.654 | 3.654 | 0.510 |
88 | | 3.986 | 3.987 | 0.332 |
25 | | 4.571 | 4.572 | 0.585 |
15 | | 5.706 | 5.706 | 1.135 |
7 | | 8.955 | 8.956 | 3.249 |
14 | | 9.804 | 9.804 | 0.848 |
18 | | 10.410 | 10.411 | 0.607 |
55 | | 11.416 | 11.416 | 1.005 |
3 | | 12.246 | 12.246 | 0.830 |
22 | | 12.702 | 12.703 | 0.457 |
34 | | 15.144 | 15.145 | 2.442 |
4 | | 19.960 | 19.960 | 4.816 |
2 | | 25.993 | 25.993 | 6.033 |
20 | | 1'44.519 | 1'44.520 | 1'18.527 |
12 | | |||
9 | | |||
35 | | |||
5 | | |||
View full results |

The Bend Supercars: McLaughlin locks out poles
The Bend Supercars: McLaughlin crowned 2020 champion

Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?