Fabian Coulthard wins at Winton as Scott McLaughlin stalls

Fabian Coulthard won his first race of the season in the final Supercars championship race of the weekend at Winton as DJR Team Penske team-mate Scott McLaughlin stalled from pole position and had to fight his way back up.

Coulthard headed an all-Kiwi top three with Shane van Gisbergen and McLaughlin in second and third after 67 laps.

When the lights went to green, McLaughlin stalled and dropped to eighth position while Coulthard made a strong start and immediately pulled up a gap.

McLaughlin opted to pit early to get a clear track for his charge back up through the field. The strategy worked and McLaughlin was up into second place as the race neared its end.

The Ford Falcon driver was however unable to respond to a charge from Triple Eight Race Engineering driver van Gisbergen who made his way past into second place with 17 laps left.

Previous race winner Rick Kelly headed team-mate Michael Caruso in fourth and fifth position, confirming a strong weekend for Nissan Motorsport.

Holden drivers Scott Pye and Tim Slade claimed positions six and seven while reigning champion Jamie Whincup rounded off the top eight.

David Reynolds, who was third in the championship ahead of the weekend, had another tough race and climbed to 16th position from last position on the grid.

McLaughlin continues on top in the standings on 1487 points with van Gisbergen second, 131 points behind, and Lowndes third, 299 points behind.