Feeney calls for Darwin Triple Crown change

The Triple Eight youngster scored all three race wins from pole position in a rare display of dominance at the Hidden Valley Circuit.

Darwin’s Supercars event has since 2006 run as the Triple Crown, which until this year was traditionally awarded only if a driver swept the weekend.

The exact requirement has changed over time, with a Shootout or qualifying session counting as the first leg in years where only two races were held.

Only once had the Triple Crown been won on that basis, by Scott McLaughlin in 2019, while Jamie Whincup picked it up when it was awarded on round points as a one-off in 2020.

A desire from local organisers to ensure the trophy is given out each year is believed to have resulted in a switch to awarded it on round points again this year.

Feeney’s domination meant he was a clear winner either way, but the driver says it should revert to its traditional guise.

“I just remember so clearly watching Scotty win it back in 2019 and how hard it was to win it in its natural way,” he said.

“I was actually quite disappointed last year because I won both races and got the pole in the Shootout and wasn’t crowned the Triple Crown winner because they made it the Friday qualifying.

“I think it probably should go back to the old way, I don’t think it should be the round winner, I think it should be either all three races or two races and the Shootout.

“But to sort of just have no question about it this weekend is awesome. I’m so proud.

“Obviously Bathurst and the championship are the main ones but with how difficult this one is to win, it was right up the top of my list.

“I’ve obviously had a good run here the last couple of years and just really wanted to tick that box, so to do it this year is pretty awesome.”

Feeney cruised home a winner on Sunday by eight seconds over his nearest rival, Grove Racing Ford driver Kai Allen.

The duo were in somewhat of a strategic standoff in the last third of the race due to the Safety Car rules that vaulted James Courtney onto the podium in Perth.

Feeney’s only real threat was the risk that pitting before Allen could have resulted in the Grove Ford being able to pit under yellow and staying ahead due to the time saved.

“These ones we were able to manage pretty well from the front and have a good margin, but as I’ve learnt the last couple of Sunday races, anything can go wrong,” said Feeney.

“You can have dominant races like Sunday in Tasmania, six seconds in front and strategy swings the other way with the Safety Car.

“With Kai we were playing Russian Roulette with who was going to pull the trigger first and pit at the end, it was quite annoying because we ran until 10 laps to go.

“But we were just eliminating any risk. It never gets boring winning races. I wish every race went as smooth as that one.”