Jamie Whincup produced a faultless drive to win Race 34 at the Coates Hire Sydney 500 while Mark Winterbottom edged closer to a maiden V8 Supercars Championship title.

The Red Bull driver assumed the lead by virtue of a slick pit stop from his crew that saw him jump Shane Van Gisbergen who slipped by Winterbottom on lap 2 to head the field.

Van Gisbergen pushed Whincup hard throughout the race but was unable to launch a serious attack for the lead.

Pole-sitter Winterbottom led the opening lap but slipped down the order to fifth as the race progressed which provided a valuable points haul in his quest for the title.

Craig Lowndes, who started from the back, waited until the latter stages to make his pit stop before fighting his way up to 15th spot to prolong the title fight.

Winterbottom now needs to finish 20th or better in Race 35 to claim the crown.

Brad Jones Racing’s Jason Bright enjoyed a strong run throughout to claim the final podium ahead of the Holden Racing Team’s James Courtney.

Tim Slade pushed Winterbottom hard in the closing stages as he secured sixth spot, while Volvo’s Scott McLaughlin, David Reynolds and Fabian Coulthard completed the top 10.

The race was devoid of any real incidents with the Safety Car remaining in the pits during a race for the first time in the event’s history.

The only real moment came when James Moffat and Whincup made slight contact at the start resulting in damage to the front right of the Nissan.

Erebus Motorsport’s Will Davison led the race for a long period as he waited until the final third of the race to make his pit stop, which dropped him to 13th spot at the flag.

Result: V8 Supercars Coates Hire Sydney 500 Race 34