Broc Feeney at the Bathurst 1000. Image: InSyde Media
All the Finals Series talk to date has revolved around the top 10 points cut-off and drivers locking themselves into the post-season.
A rollercoaster Bathurst 1000 had the Finals field evolving by the lap in the closing stages, but ultimately ended with an unchanged top 10.
The Finals drivers are Broc Feeney, Matt Payne, Will Brown, Cam Waters, Brodie Kostecki, Chaz Mostert, Anton De Pasquale, Thomas Randle, Ryan Wood and Kai Allen.
So now that the inaugural Finals field has been set, what happens to the points? And what does it mean for the Gold Coast and beyond?
Firstly, the top 10 in the standings each have their points reset to 3000 to put them out of reach of those 11th downwards (whose tallies continue to tick over as per normal).
Bonus points have then been applied to the top 10 based on the order in which they finished the regular season, starting with 150 to Feeney, 120 to Payne and 96 to Brown.
The full bonus structure for first through 10th is 150-120-96-78-66-57-48-39-30-21.
A further 25 bonus points have been awarded to the winners of the Sprint Cup (Feeney) and Enduro Cup (Payne).
These bonuses are in place to reward achievement through the regular season, giving drivers who have performed strongly to date a greater chance of progressing through the Gold Coast.
Interestingly, the points reset has not had a huge impact at the top of the standings as Feeney’s lead over Payne had shrunk to just 56 points after shockers at The Bend and Bathurst.
Supercars Championship standings after Bathurst 1000 (full-time drivers only)
Pos
Driver
Points
Gap
1
Broc Feeney
3175
2
Matt Payne
3145
-30
3
Will Brown
3096
-79
4
Cam Waters
3078
-97
5
Brodie Kostecki
3066
-109
6
Chaz Mostert
3057
-118
7
Anton De Pasquale
3048
-127
8
Thomas Randle
3039
-136
9
Ryan Wood
3030
-145
10
Kai Allen
3021
-154
11
Cameron Hill
1299
12
Andre Heimgartner
1299
13
James Golding
1169
14
David Reynolds
1137
15
Nick Percat
1098
16
Jack Le Brocq
1066
17
Bryce Fullwood
1000
18
Cooper Murray
967
19
Will Davison
868
20
Macauley Jones
822
21
James Courtney
805
22
Richie Stanaway
760
23
Jaxon Evans
653
24
Aaron Cameron
627
Seven drivers will remain in championship contention following the Gold Coast event, with three eliminated.
Any Finals drivers who win a Gold Coast race will get a direct pass to the second round of the Finals at Sandown, dubbed the ‘Semi-Final’.
The remainder of the Semi-Final slots will be awarded on the post-Gold Coast points standings.
The process then repeats after Sandown with the seven remaining contenders having their points reset to 4000 and bonuses applied based on the post-Gold Coast rankings.
Four drivers progress from the Sandown Semi-Final to the Adelaide Grand Final – either through winning a Sandown race or through their points tally.
The four Grand Finalists will have their points reset to 5000 ahead of Adelaide, with a 50-30-15-0 bonus structure applied before the three races decide the champion.