Supercars has hailed a strong crowd figure for the return of the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.

While Sandown had been on the calendar for the past two years, initially as a stand-in for Albert Park, the 2023 event marked the return of a 500km enduro to the championship, and in its traditional spot as the lead-in to the Bathurst 1000.

Forecasts of unseasonably warm Spring weather in southeast Melbourne proved to be correct, with a three-day crowd figure of almost 70,000 reported for the event.

“It’s incredibly pleasing to see such a large crowd of 68,724 attend the Sandown 500 over the weekend,” said Supercars CEO Shane Howard.

“This is the largest crowd we’ve had at Sandown in recent years, and it’s a testament to the unwavering support of our fans who turned up in force to cheer on their favourites at this historic circuit.

“Our next stop is the 60th anniversary running of the Repco Bathurst 1000 next month, and we can’t wait to join our passionate fans at Mount Panorama to celebrate what will be yet another historic event for the Championship.”

On-track, the race was a battle between Triple Eight Race Engineering and Erebus Motorsport, with the former prevailing courtesy of Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup.

Shane van Gisbergen/Richie Stanaway made it both Red Bull Ampol Camaros on the podium, split by the #99 Coca-Cola Camaro of Erebus duo Brodie Kostecki/David Russell.

The Bathurst 1000 takes place on October 5-8, while next year’s Sandown 500 is expected to occupy its customary mid-September position on the calendar.