AN intra-team clash that flew under the radar in the Sydney SuperNight finale has resulted in Jack Smith scoring fastest lap points for the first time in his Repco Supercars Championship career.
Smith crossed the line 16th in Race 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park yesterday, meaning he would not cash in on the five bonus points attached to the fastest lap mantle, given a top 15 finish is required for the points to count.
However, soon after the finish, Smith was promoted to 15th by virtue of a five-second penalty for Macauley Jones.
It was not immediately clear what Jones had been pinged for, until the stewards report lobbed later.
“The Stewards imposed a 5 second Time Penalty on Car 96 (Jones) for gaining an unfair advantage from contact with the rear of Car 4 (Smith) at Turn 8 on Lap 36,” read the report.
That would appear to be a repeat of the Will Brown/Shane van Gisbergen incident from Saturday night, which also occurred on the final lap at the Turn 8 hairpin.
It is however relatively rare for a clash between teammates to be penalised. Brad Jones Racing’s post-race communications confirmed “an intra-garage incident” had unfolded, with the #96 Pizza Hut Camaro relegated to 18th.
For Smith, it’s not the first time he has recorded the fastest lap – he did so at Hidden Valley in 2020 – but it is the first time he’s collected points for it (the bonus system was only introduced in 2021).
“We managed to move up to 15th from 21st and got the fastest lap of the race. It was a good, fun race,” said the 24-year-old.
“Strategy was really good. We really just did everything we could today to make up positions and it felt good to get a reward for that.”
It was another excellent day for BJR, with Andre Heimgartner finishing second and Bryce Fullwood fifth.
BJR now has a relatively comfortable hold on third in the teams’ championship, sitting 277 points clear of fourth-placed Tickford Racing.
