A record 52 cars took to the Kwinana circuit on Friday night for the first of two nights that will determine a new Australian champion.

The opening night honours were decided by a pair of preliminary features, both won by home grown talent.

The first went to Vosbergen, who came from the outside of the front row to snatch an early lead in the 15-lap race.

Initially it was Brad Blake that he had to overcome, before Brad Smith emerged as his closest contender.

The pair staged a tense battle, three times interrupted by stoppages, first when Nathan Richards spun, before Ben Nicastri was tipped into a sensational roll.

The final stoppage came thanks to a spin from Craig Vosbergen, which set up a green/white dash to the flag

Brent Vosbergen was up to it, though, taking the win from Smith and Jamie Oldfield, with Blake slipping back to fourth after late contact with the wall.

The second prelim was a clinic from Blight, again from the outside of the front row.

He bolted early and had half a lap on the field when the race went yellow mid-distance.

Blight made light work of the restart to end up well clear of the field again as he secured victory.

Warren Oldfield finished second while American Myles Moos came home third.

The 2025 Australian champion will be determined Saturday night.