Kostecki and Hazelwood Win Thrilling Bathurst 1000

Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood stood atop their Ford Mustang at Mount Panorama, their faces a picture of shock and elation. The Dick Johnson Racing duo had dominated the 2026 Bathurst 1000, only to see their chances seemingly slip away with a disastrous pit stop.

However, Kostecki, one of the great Supercar drivers, proved his mettle and the motorsport gods smiled down on DJR in a wild and chaotic finish. Here are the major moments from the drama-filled final 36 laps that decided the Bathurst 1000.

Lap 125: Slow pit stop sinks Kostecki from first to fifth

Through 125 laps of the Great Race, the number 17 car was outstanding. Starting second on the grid, Kostecki and Hazelwood drove a near-flawless race to establish a healthy lead with 36 laps to go. That is when the DJR team called in Kostecki for what would be his second-to-last stop for the race — and disaster struck.

The team elected to change brakes, which had been an issue across many teams due to the warm temperatures and relentless pace of the race at Mount Panorama. But there was an issue changing the brakes on the front-right of the car. The number 17 car should have come out of the pits and retained the lead of the race. However, Kostecki drove his Mustang back onto the mountain in fifth position, with the leads out of sight, out of reach, and the win seemingly out of the question.

Lap 139–140: Team 18 plays its ace as De Pasquale pits

As lap after lap of green flag racing passed, the race appeared to be a battle between Zach Bates (Matt Stone Racing, number 10) and Anton De Pasquale (Team 18, number 18). Bates, the 22-year-old Supercars rookie who claimed pole with a stunning lap in Saturday's Top 10 Shootout, had his lead slashed by a charging De Pasquale as they approached the final pit stop phase.

Bates had tyres that were 10 laps older, and he was also much lower on fuel than De Pasquale. Despite this, Team 18 pulled De Pasquale into the pits just as he caught the back of Bates's Chevrolet. It looked to be a masterstroke. Rather than waiting for its fuel load to run out, Team 18 was going to perform the undercut and not give Bates the chance to pit first and drive on fresh rubber while De Pasquale was racing on older tyres.

Matt Stone Racing had no choice but to pit on the next lap. Knowing they were going to be stationary for longer than De Pasquale because they needed more fuel, the team could not afford to let Bates run any longer on old tyres. In all, Bates was stationary for 15 seconds longer than De Pasquale for their final pit stop. De Pasquale was clear, and Bates would need to make up that time in 21 laps to complete the most unlikely of comebacks.

Lap 155: Leader De Pasquale told to 'maximum fuel save'

Anton De Pasquale was told he needed to save fuel in the final laps. The crew at Team 18 was glued to the monitors. De Pasquale had a big lead in the Bathurst 1000, and the chequered flag was getting closer. But Bates was eating into the gap. What was a 15-second advantage was reduced to 12, then 10, then eight, then seven seconds.

Then car 18's race engineer, Andrew Donnelly, came on the radio and told De Pasquale he needed to "maximum fuel save". Bates and the number 10 car were back in the race.

Lap 156: The first and only safety car comes on track

It looked certain that the 2026 edition of the Bathurst 1000 was going to go without a safety car, until Chaz Mostert slammed into the wall at Forrest's Elbow. The reigning Supercar champion was out of the race, and the safety car was called — setting a new record for the longest time ever taken for the first safety car in the Bathurst 1000.

De Pasquale was leading, but now he had Bates on his rear wing, and the charging Kostecki in third place. De Pasquale also had a major issue: he didn't have enough fuel in his car. There was hope for the Team 18 crew that the two laps behind the safety car might be enough to help them save enough fuel.

Lap 159: Kostecki passes Bates, De Pasquale puts the foot down

When the safety car rolled back into the pits, there would be a three-lap sprint for Bathurst glory. De Pasquale set off and got a brilliant getaway. He put a nice gap between himself and Bates, with the latter under threat from a flying Kostecki.

As they approached the final corner of lap 159, Kostecki struck. He dived up the inside of Bates, forced the 22-year-old wide, and took second place. Now Kostecki was the man who was going to chase a fuel-saving De Pasquale.

Lap 161: Team 18 left in tears as De Pasquale's car runs out of fuel

One lap to go. That is all the number 18 car had to do. De Pasquale, co-driver Lee Holdsworth and the entire Team 18 crew were praying there was enough fuel in the tank. Glory was there — and then it wasn't. De Pasquale's Chevrolet ran out of fuel, and Team 18 was left devastated.

Crew members could be seen in tears. Holdsworth was shell-shocked as he bravely stood for an interview just moments after his dream turned into a nightmare. In the neighbouring garage, the roars could be heard by the fans at the top of the mountain.

"Like I've always said, the mountain chooses the winner," Kostecki said after winning. Mount Panorama chose Kostecki and Hazelwood on Sunday, but made sure they worked very hard for it.