Hazelwood deputised for Brodie Kostecki, who withdrew from Sunday’s action due to illness.
The Bathurst 1000 winner was a late replacement, with the announcement coming less than an hour before qualifying.
He said he should have been on a flight and halfway to Brisbane when it became evident that he would be needed.
Driving the #17 Shell V-Power Ford Mustang, Hazelwood narrowly missed out on a Top 10 Shootout berth with 13th in an impressive qualifying.
He went on to finish 12th in the 70-lap race despite a few dramas.
“I had a few features in that last stint going on, both with me and the car,” Hazelwood said on the Supercars broadcast.
Secure your spot today.
“I probably only had a quarter of a clutch left. The first three quarters of the pedal were floppy, so I had nothing.
“I started getting a little bit of rear locking and probably abused the tyre under brakes a little bit because of that.
“Then I thought ‘Jeez, my foot is getting hot’. It was a hot day and then it got later into the stint and I thought I actually can’t feel my toes, my foot was going to sleep.
“I think just the nature of a makeshift (seat) insert for today. We chucked some foam together and I probably pulled my lap belt up a bit too tight and it went to sleep.
“As weird as today has been, it’s good preparation for me later in the year. Selfishly, it’s been awesome. A great day.”
Hazelwood was the second driver to pit on Lap 11 to get tyres, fuel and clear air on the nose of his Ford Mustang.
He admitted he had been cautious at the start of the race, which cost him two places before electing to pit.
Hazelwood settled into the mid-park and remained on the fringe of the top 10 in the closing stanza, which was notable for a battle with Brad Jones Racing driver Andre Heimgartner.
“For me, I had a good start. I tried to keep out of trouble on that first lap and got my ears boxed into Turn 5,” Hazelwood explained.
“I was probably a little generous and left half a car width and of course a car went up the inside of me.
“Overall, I was pretty happy. I lost a little bit of time in that middle stint but that last stint was really strong. Can’t thank the whole crew enough.
“Massive shoutout to the whole team at Shell V-Power Racing for obviously giving me the opportunity whilst Brodie is recovering.
“Fingers crossed he can get better ASAP, first and foremost.”
The Repco Supercars Championship continues on July 10-12 with the Townsville 500 at the Reid Park Street Circuit.
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