Craig Lowndes continues to prove unstoppable at Queensland Raceway in 2011, adding the Race 17 victory to his earlier triumph from pole position in Race 16.
CLICK HERE for a race report from Race 16.
While the afternoon’s second encounter was a repeat of the first for Lowndes, Jamie Whincup made it a TeamVodafone one-two by passing Tim Slade on the opening lap.
A leaking differential for Whincup was the only major concern for TeamVodafone, with the #88 Commodore emitting smoke in the closing stages.
In a processional race at the front of the field, Rick Kelly and Steve Owen kept their starting positions to take fourth and fifth.
Steve Johnson improved one position to finish sixth, crossing the line ahead of Greg Murphy, Shane van Gisbergen, James Moffat and Mark Winterbottom.
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Garth Tander quickly made his way from the back of the grid to sit 14th after 10 laps, but eventually finished 23rd after being spun by Jason Bargwanna on the penultimate lap.
The Safety Car made an appearance early in the race after a contact between Karl Reindler and Alex Davison initiated a chain reaction.
While Reindler spun into the infield, Davison slowed in front of the pack, resulting in a heavy nose-to-tail collision between Davison, Todd Kelly and James Courtney that took the two Holden drivers out of the race.
Paul Dumbrell and David Reynolds finished at the tail of the field after both coming off second best in a first corner incident that began when Dumbrell made contact with the back of the IRWIN Tools Falcon.
See below for the full race result
| 1 | TeamVodafone | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 28:44.5740 |
| 2 | TeamVodafone | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 28:46.0211 |
| 3 | Lucky 7 Racing | Tim Slade | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 28:47.2450 |
| 4 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Rick Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 28:54.3627 |
| 5 | VIP Petfoods | Steve Owen | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 28:58.7950 |
| 6 | Jim Beam Racing | Steven Johnson | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 28:59.7826 |
| 7 | Pepsi Max Crew | Greg Murphy | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:00.7820 |
| 8 | SP Tools Racing | Shane Van Gisbergen | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:03.4570 |
| 9 | Jim Beam Racing | James Moffat | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:04.0375 |
| 10 | Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:07.8918 |
| 11 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:08.1065 |
| 12 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:08.4316 |
| 13 | Jana Living Racing | Jason Bargwanna | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:10.2046 |
| 14 | Team Boc | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:10.3210 |
| 15 | Trading Post FPR Falcon | Will Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:11.0315 |
| 16 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | Karl Reindler | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:12.8831 |
| 17 | Wilson Security Racing | Tony D’Alberto | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:14.4973 |
| 18 | Bundaberg Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:14.8145 |
| 19 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Michael Caruso | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:16.6189 |
| 20 | Mother Energy Racing Team | Jonathon Webb | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:19.6032 |
| 21 | Triple F Racing | Dean Fiore | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:19.8309 |
| 22 | Irwin Racing | Alex Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 22 | 29:25.7919 |
| 23 | Toll Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:26.3520 |
| 24 | Gulf Western Oil Racing | Warren Luff | Holden Commodore VE2 | 22 | 29:30.7220 |
| 25 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Paul Dumbrell | Ford Falcon FG | 21 | 29:27.8231 |
| 26 | Stratco Racing | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VE2 | 18 | 29:59.6003 |
| DNF | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Todd Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1 | 1:22.1274 |
| DNF | Toll Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1 | 1:22.4474 |
