Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has emerged as the nearest challenger for this year's Supercars championship - but his grasp on the title is slipping away, after three defeats at Adelaide.
Competition leader Brodie Kostecki swept all three sprint races at Tailem End to stretch his advantage beyond 100 points, as the itinerary moves into late-season endurance events.
Two-time defending champion van Gisbergen has taken advantage of misfortune to Will Brown - the man named to succeed him at Red Bull Ampol Racing next year - moving past his rival into second, but lost big ground to Kostecki, with three fifth-placed finishes.
The Kiwi was also under investigation for a pitstop breach in the third race.
Teammate Broc Feeney also spun out of the final race, after passing Brown for third on the championship, gifting van Gisbergen some breathing room in his pursuit of Kostecki.
Twelve months ago, he scored maximum points at this venue to boost his title hopes, but throughout this weekend, he struggled with his steering and his frustration can be heard over in-race communications with his garage.
"It's a real shame," said van Gisbergen. "It's a worry for Sandown, that's for sure, for everyone.
"We're not the only one having these problems, but I just struggled to drive it. We've still got points, but Brodie is superfast and those guys have really nailed it.
"I can't celebrate other people's misfortunes. It's a shame for Will, seeing him crash yesterday, but Brodie's driving away from us and we need to get better."
Next stop is the Sandown 500 at Melbourne on September 15-17, with the iconic Bathurst 1000 looming beyond that.
More to come
