Shane van Gisbergen's hopes of a final Supercars title have been ended, after failing to finish the first race of the season-ending Adelaide 500.
Trailing championship leader Brodie Kostecki of Erebus by 131 points with two races remaining, van Gisbergen suffered a first-lap crash that ended his chances of moving top of the ladder.
And even though Cam Waters of Tickford Racing took the chequered flag, Kostecki crossing the line in sixth place was enough to move him 233 points clear of van Gisbergen.
Once van Gisbergen failed to finish, Kostecki needed to only finish 22nd or higher to clinch the title.
To rub salt in the wound, van Gisbergen's early exit was the result of a crash with Will Brown - Kostecki's Erebus teammate.
Regardless, the championship is just reward for Kostecki in 2023, with the 26-year-old lifting the title for the first time.
This season, Kostecki has won six races after starting on pole nine times, while van Gisbergen has five wins - albeit from only three pole starts.
With just one race left this season, and a maximum of 150 points for the victor, it is now mathematically impossible for the Kiwi to pass Kostecki, and win a fourth Supercars crown, and third in succession.
Van Gisbergen can at the very least hope to take out the Teams Championship, with Red Bull sitting in second heading into the final race and trailing Erebus by 161 points.
This season is van Gisbergen's last with Red Bull Ampol Racing in Supercars, as he prepares to join American NASCAR outfit Trackhouse Racing in 2024.
