Buckley started the second day of the TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series powered by Maritimo fourth round at Queensland Raceway by qualifying fastest.
She did it with fewer laps than most of the field and by two tenths of a second ahead of a field of seasoned campaigners.
“It feels amazing,” said Buckley after her historic win.
“I just wanted to back it up after qualifying. It feels really good. Rookie, on debut, and I’ve just won one of the races. Could not be happier.
“Thank you to all the boys who have put countless hours in, days and nights to get this car where it needs to be.”
Mentored by Supercars endurance driver Tim Slade, who did much of the set-up work, Buckley nailed the initial start perfectly as her teammate and series leader Jarrod Hughes squeezed in behind from the second row.
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“As much as I haven’t been in the car, Tim [Slade] has been in the car doing laps for me,” said Buckley.
“They’ve given me the best kit, the best gear, and Tim has been doing some fine-tuning with me today. I got out there, I got in the front, and I just stayed in sync and had a bit of fun.”
Two safety car periods meant she had to fend off Hughes twice more. She never faltered and was able to pull a slight gap in the concluding stages of the 13-lap race.
Her restarts were impeccable, something she worked on after two indifferent ones in Races 1 and 2 that resulted in a fourth and eighth on Saturday.
“I feel like a proud dad, and it is a little bit emotional. But I am only a small part of this,” said Slade.
Buckley will have pole position for the fourth and final race of the fourth round at the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series at QR, scheduled for 4:15pm AEST.
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