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Rookie Broc Feeney has outlasted Chaz Mostert to take Holden’s last ever win at the VALO Adelaide 500.
Feeney became the second full-time rookie in as many years to win a race after Will Brown in Sydney in 2021.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver — aged just 20 — also became the second youngest driver to win a race in what Mark Skaife described as a “life-changing day”.
Scott McLaughlin — in commentary — won at Pukekohe aged just 19 back in 2013.
The end margin between Feeney and Saturday winner Mostert was just 0.9s.
An estimated 258,000 packed into the first Adelaide 500 since February 2020.
Feeney — who replaced the retired Jamie Whincup — treated the crowd to an emotional victory in just his 36th race start.
Pole-sitter Anton De Pasquale was a distant third ahead of Cam Waters, with Andre Heimgartner fifth.
Champion-elect Shane van Gisbergen toiled through another tough day, with a late penalty hampering his charge.
Van Gisbergen was pinged over a Safety Car infringement, and a podium turned into seventh.
That didn’t stop van Gisbergen celebrating with a burnout on pit straight, having officially champed the 2022 championship.
“I can’t believe it,”an overjoyed Feeney said.
“It’s been an awesome year, I felt like the win’s always been close.
“To get it at the last race in front of all these fans for Holden, it means so much.
“To everyone who’s supported me, it’s been one hell of a ride.
“In that race, I was out to show next year I can hopefully be a contender.”
At the start, De Pasquale and teammate Will Davison maintained a Shell V-Power status quo through the Senna Chicane.
Van Gisbergen overhauled Feeney off the line, and took off after Davison. Behind them, Waters picked off Mostert for fifth at Turn 9.
Feeney was first of the leading group to stop on lap 11.
Davison pitted two laps later in response, and emerged ahead — but picked up a warning for exceeding track limits.
Van Gisbergen pushed his performance deep into the stint, and set the fastest lap of the race on lap 16.
Two laps later, Jake Kostecki crashed at Turn 8, and the balance of the field fired into pit lane.
Davison and Feeney jumped De Pasquale, with David Reynolds and Brodie Kostecki short-fuelled into fourth and sixth.
Davison led Feeney, De Pasquale, Reynolds and van Gisbergen to green on lap 22.
Feeney attacked a sliding Davison at Turn 4 — behind them, van Gisbergen dropped to eighth after being hung out wide at Turn 6.
Brodie Kostecki slapped the wall at Turn 8, but somehow avoided a race-ending fate.
Feeney took the lead for the first time at Turn 9 on lap 24 when Davison made a mistake.
Van Gisbergen cleared Mostert into Turn 8 on lap 30, before making respective Turn 9 moves on Waters and Reynolds.
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All the while, Feeney had opened a 3.2s gap on Davison, with De Pasquale 0.7s behind his teammate.
On lap 40, Davison made another mistake at Turn 11, tumbled down the order and pitted immediately.
One lap later, De Pasquale bowled a wide at the last corner, and handed second to van Gisbergen on a platter.
The race turned on its head once again when Bryce Fullwood crashed at Turn 8 on lap 43.
Van Gisbergen stacked behind Feeney, while De Pasquale lost position to Mostert in the lane.
Once the field cleansed, van Gisbergen was effective 12th, with Feeney ahead of Mostert, De Pasquale and Waters.
Van Gisbergen’s charge began immediately at the restart when he nosed down the inside of the retiring Lee Holdsworth at the last corner.
Feeney led Mostert to green on lap 49, with Thomas Randle sent into a spin at the last corner by Jack Smith.
On lap 51, defending from Brodie Kostecki, Davison careened into Reynolds at Turn 9, with James Courtney also implicated.
Davison was quickly handed a 15-second penalty over the incident.
Waters attacked De Pasquale on lap 58, but bowled a wide at Turn 5 and gifted fourth to the rampant van Gisbergen.
Van Gisbergen cleared De Pasquale on lap 62 at Turn 9, completing the all-Holden podium.
On the next lap, van Gisbergen’s worst fears were confirmed over the radio — a drive-through over the Safety Car infringement.
Van Gisbergen took the penalty immediately, and resumed in 13th.
Feeney marched on and kept Mostert at bay, with the two Commodores driving away from De Pasquale.
The 2021 Super2 champion completed the job with a delighted Triple Eight crew hanging over the pit wall.
Brown came home sixth ahead of van Gisbergen, Brodie Kostecki, Holdsworth and Golding.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle next March.
This article first appeared on supercars.comand was reproduced with permission.
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