Jamie Whincup watched a chaotic end to qualifying at the Sydney 500 from pitlane having set what would prove an unbeatable time.

The 20 minute session set the field for this afternoon’s Top 10 Shootout ahead of the penultimate race of the season.

Whincup was able to secure his place as the last man out in the Shootout with just one green tyre qualifying run.

His first representative lap did not come until the second half of the session after an early red flag to retrieve Garth Tander’s crashed Holden Racing Team Commodore.

Whincup shot to the top with 1:27.76s before further cementing his place with a 1:27.39s.

That proved good enough to withstand late efforts from Shane van Gisbergen, Will Davison, Fabian Coulthard and Craig Lowndes, who filled second through fifth at the flag.

Jason Bright, Mark Winterbottom, Tony D’Alberto, Jonathon Webb and David Reynolds complete the Shootout field.

The session ended with major front-end damage to Will Davison’s Falcon after a mistake at Turn 8.

Davison made a late call to abandon the corner and head for the escape road, before ultimately making head-on contact with the barrier.

Also in the wall was Alexandre Premat, whose Holden made front-and rear contact with the concrete on the pit straight after being turned around by James Moffat exiting the final corner.

Tander had earlier run too hot into Turn 1, creasing the right-front corner of his Holden against the single-layer tyre barrier.

The HRT Commodore took no further part in the session and will start from last on the grid.

See below for full qualifying results