Shane van Gisbergen has called for more changes to the Newcastle 500 street circuit after winning the first race of the Supercars finale.
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Supercars reshaped the Nobbys hairpin before this year's race to encourage overtaking, but it appeared to make little difference as the first 250km contest turned into a tactical battle centred on pit-stop strategies.
Van Gisbergen hoped the race organisers would modify turn one, at the end of pit straight, before next year.
"What they've done to the track's good. They need to do it at turn one as well," he said.
"Straighten that up so we're breaking on the right-hand side for a left-hander and open that up.
"That will just make the track better. I've been saying that for a while. Hopefully, one step at a time, it keeps coming."
Van Gisbergen, who led a Kiwi trifecta on the podium, hoped aerodynamic changes to the cars next season would also help make the racing more interesting.
"It's worse in general this year, unfortunately, because of the way the cars are," he said.
"I think next year with a lot less downforce we should see good racing again, I hope."
Second placegetter Scott McLaughlin said the drivers could brake "so deep in front of someone" that it was impossible to overtake.
Van Gisbergen said his win helped atone for his disappointment last year when a post-race pit-stop penalty on Saturday ruined his championship hopes.
But a mistake by teammate Jamie Whincup left Triple Eight languishing 143 points behind DJR Team Penske in the battle for the teams championship.
Pole-sitter van Gisbergen eased to victory 10 seconds in front of champion elect McLaughlin and the second Penske driver, Fabian Coulthard.
Whincup, the seven-time series champion who snatched the title from McLaughlin in 2017 on the streets of Newcastle, overcooked the turn one corner at the end of the pit straight and finished eighth.
He and van Gisbergen had appeared on track for a one-two finish before the mishap.
Rain threatened to interrupt the race but never arrived, leaving van Gisbergen a comfortable run to the line.
Penske will almost certainly take the teams championship in tomorrow's second 250km race unless either McLaughlin or Coulthard fail to finish.
Saturday's racing was relatively subdued compared with the excitement of the Newcastle debut weekend two years ago and McLaughlin's final-day triumph in 2018.
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McLaughlin has an unassailable lead over van Gisbergen in the drivers' championship after a record-breaking season in Ford's new all-conquering Mustang.
Van Gisbergen said the Mustang's aerodynamic advantage on faster circuits was negated in Newcastle, where teams had to raise the cars to deal with the ripple strips.
Another healthy crowd watched today's action, though numbers appeared slightly down on last year and certainly on the race's bumper debut.
Supercars will release a crowd total for the weekend on Sunday night.
Whincup said he was disappointed with his error 20 laps from the finish but would dust himself off for the season finale tomorrow.
Van Gisbergen put the error down to Whincup "cruising" and not being "on the limit".
"You lose focus. It's good to be comfortable out front, but I always start to think about other stuff.
"That's the hardest time to stay focused, when you've got nothing to push for. It's a real shame to make a mistake like that.
"I'm sure he'll be kicking himself."
Tomorrow's racing ends with the second 250km Supercars race at 4.15pm.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
