Rookie Allen surges towards Supercars Finals berth

The #26 Ford Mustang driver vaulted from 17th in the drivers’ championship to 12th off the back of consecutive podiums at the Darwin Triple Crown.

Allen was 11th in Race 17 before his maiden podium in Race 18 where he was third behind Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney and Anton De Pasquale for Team 18.

The Mount Gambier-born driver capped off the weekend with second in Race 19, again behind Feeney and one spot ahead of his Grove Racing teammate Matt Payne.

Grove Racing team principal David Cauchi hailed the team’s points haul, which was second only to Triple Eight.

The team cut its deficit in the teams’ championship to Tickford Racing down from 251 points to just 25 points.

“It was a really strong weekend with podiums and a massive haul of points for the teams’ championship,” said Cauchi.

“The highlight was getting Kai Allen his first podium on Saturday and backing up with second place on Sunday.

“He’s deserved those results for a while and to do it on a track where he has never driven before was exceptional.

“Having two cars up the front, with Matt Payne as well, is a testament to the team and our ability to work together. Matt and Kai also have a great relationship.

“We’re not interested in fighting for 11th and 12th, so we’re focusing on podiums. We’ve been successful in Townsville before, so definitely looking forward to the next round there.”

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Who’s on the bubble?

Between Wanneroo and Hidden Valley, the top five remains unchanged. Brodie Kostecki and Thomas Randle traded places in the standings, sitting sixth and seventh respectively.

The same is true for Andre Heimgartner and Cameron Hill. Heimgartner moved up to eighth while Hill edged closer to the cut-off in ninth.

The last driver in playoff contention as it stands is De Pasquale, who rose two places round-on-round to sit 10th.

Ryan Wood is the first driver on the outside looking in, holding 11th place ahead of Allen in 12th.

Perhaps the biggest loser between rounds is James Golding, who was 11th and eyeing a Finals Series berth but has dropped to 14th behind Nick Percat.

Sprint Cup permutations

Feeney’s five-race winning streak has grown his lead over teammate Brown from 72 points after Wanneroo to 183 points after Hidden Valley.

Winning the Sprint Cup will ensure that no matter what happens during the Enduro Cup, the regular season winner books themselves a spot in the Finals Series, which begins at the Gold Coast 500.

The Enduro Cup comprises The Bend 500 and the Bathurst 1000. The winner of the Enduro Cup (assuming they haven’t won the Sprint Cup) earns a Finals Series entry.

Just two rounds remain in the Sprint Cup at the Townsville 500 (July 11-13) and the Ipswich Super440 (August 8-10).

Supercars Drivers’ Championship (After Race 19 of 34)