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Kiwi Matt Payne gears up for glory in Townsville
Savannah Lendich Jonkers • July 10th, 2025 12:03 pm
Photo: Photosport
Kiwi Supercars favourite Matt Payne is in for a promising weekend at the Townsville 500 as he sits third in championship points.
Last year, Payne won race 14 in Townsville after starting eleventh on the grid, a race he at the time described as a “strategic battle.”
The Townsville street circuit is a track where all three races can be run on a soft tyre - something that suits the Ford Penrite Racing Mustang according to Payne in the Drivers Only Podcast.
Payne has had a reasonably consistent season so far with three wins, one pole and 10 top five finishes.
The 22-year-old said he enjoys Friday races which may give him an advantage going into round 7 starting tomorrow. With Payne chasing Will Brown for second and having only 14 points difference, Payne could top points within the next few rounds, however all relies on results swinging in the Kiwi's favour.
Photo: Photosport
Sprint Cup
With only two rounds remaining in the Sprint Cup, the highest point scoring driver will be crowned the winner - an award for the leading points for the first 8 rounds.
As Red Bull’s Broc Feeney has a steady point lead after eight wins this season, he may have a fight on his hands to claim the Sprint Cup.
According to Supercars, the other five contenders for this are reigning Supercars Champ Will Brown, Matt Payne, Cam Waters, Chaz Mostert and Brodie Kostecki.
Enduro Cup
Rounds 9 and 10 at The Bend 500 and Bathurst 1000 respectively are two race weekends that require co-drivers.
Matt Payne said on the Drivers Only Podcast, “the enduros will mix it up a bit.”
Both the Sprint Cup champion and the Enduro Cup champion will gain automatic entry into the finals, however if they sit inside the top 10 in points, only eight spots will remain.
The Finals
Rounds 11-13 held at Gold Coast, Sandown and Adelaide will see a point reset for fair competition and use an elimination format, removing the three lowest-scoring drivers from both Gold Coast and Sandown rounds.
Any of the top 10 who win a race in Gold Coast will be guaranteed a spot in Sandown.
Then any of the top 7 who win a race in Sandown will be guaranteed a spot in the Adelaide Grand Final.
The Supercars Grand Final will be held in Adelaide, leaving only the four best drivers to battle it out for the Championship title.
Kiwi drivers in Supercars standings
3rd: Matthew Payne - 1289 points, 8th: Andre Heimgartner - 839 points, 11th: Ryan Wood - 750 points, 21st: Richie Stanaway - 477 points, 22nd: Jaxon Evans - 469 points.
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