Brodie Kostecki secured his second Bathurst 1000 victory in dramatic fashion at Mount Panorama on Sunday, overtaking Anton De Pasquale on the final lap after the Chevrolet driver ran out of fuel. Kostecki, driving for Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) alongside Todd Hazelwood, capitalized on a late safety car restart and a misstep from De Pasquale to claim the prestigious endurance race win.

The race’s decisive moment came in the closing stages when defending Supercars champion Chaz Mostert triggered the event’s only safety car by crashing into the barrier at Forrest’s Elbow, five laps from the finish. At that point, De Pasquale led the race, closely followed by rookie Zach Bates, with Kostecki in third. De Pasquale was managing fuel consumption carefully as the car neared the race’s end.

On the restart with four laps remaining, Kostecki quickly passed Bates and set his sights on De Pasquale. However, just as Kostecki closed in, De Pasquale’s Camaro began to falter on Mountain Straight, running low on fuel. This allowed Kostecki to overtake and take the lead on lap 124. A costly pit stop for DJR involving trouble changing the right front brake saw their driver slip to fifth position briefly, but Kostecki’s pace continued to improve dramatically.

Kostecki mounted an impressive late-race charge, setting multiple fastest laps to reel in the leaders and mount one of the most memorable comebacks in Bathurst history. Hazelwood, celebrating his 200th Supercars race, expressed both relief and admiration for his teammate’s performance, revealing that the team had been hoping for a safety car following their earlier pit crew error.

“This one is very, very special to both of us,” Hazelwood said. “We were begging for a safety car obviously after the poor pit stop. This guy [Kostecki] was absolutely hauling it. He was sending lap after purple lap in those last few laps. It was scary to watch the monitor because I thought this guy was driving the wheels off it.”

The victory marks DJR’s first Bathurst 1000 win since Scott McLaughlin’s triumph in 2019, when the team was partnered with Team Penske. Kostecki and Hazelwood, who previously won the race together with Erebus Motorsport two years ago, once again proved their efficiency as an endurance pairing.

Unlike the previous year’s event, which was marked by wet and challenging conditions, this year’s race was completed in record time and featured mostly incident-free running. The late safety car proved pivotal, influencing both the race's outcome and the final dramatic moments that cemented Kostecki's place among Bathurst’s great winners.