Reigning champion Shane van Gisbergen has made up big ground on the Supercars championship lead, as misfortune struck two of his main rivals in the third race at Darwin.
Steering damage for championship pacesetter Brodie Kostecki forced his car into the pits after the opening lap and he emerged several laps behind, consigning him to slim pickings at the back of the field.
Meanwhile, second-placed Will Brown was assessed a five-second penalty during the race, which relegated him behind van Gisbergen at the finish-line, as the points table tightened up considerably.
When the dust settled, Kostecki's 103-point advantage over Brown was down to 53, with the fourth-placed Kiwi champion reducing his 184-point deficit to 122.
Aussie Jack LeBroq took his second-ever Supercars win, holding off Kiwi Andre Heimgartner, who claimed his second podium finish of the day and jumped one spot into seventh on overall standings.
Van Gisbergen crossed the line fourth, one spot behind Red Bull Ampol teammate Broc Feeney.
Earlier in the day, Feeney and van Gisbergen had claimed a team one-two finish in the second leg of the Darwin Triple Crown, with Heimgartner third.
Van Gisbergen's improved standing marked a sharp contrast to the start of his weekend, when mechanical issues severely limited his practice time before qualifying, but he turned his fortunes around, as others around him struggled.
Next stop for the Supercars is Townsville on July 7-9.
