Matt Payne may have crossed the finish line second at Mount Panorama, but he still claimed victory in one of the most unforgettable Bathurst 1000s in history.
A near seven-hour epic in wet and wild conditions came down to the final lap on Sunday as Grove Racing young gun Payne withstood blows in a tense top-three battle to claim the holy grail of Australian motorsport.
Payne broke through for his first title at the Great Race with co-driver Garth Tander, who claimed his six Bathurst crown.
It was James Golding who crossed the finish line first, but he paid the price for an earlier collision with Erebus rookie Cooper Murray.
PremiAir Nulon's Golding copped a five-second penalty for his tangle with then-leader Cooper Murray at Griffin's Bend, opening the door for Payne with four laps remaining.
David Reynolds and co-driver Lee Holdsworth were second in the Team 18 car, with Golding and David Russell having to settle for third.
Payne admitted he thought his race was over after running wide at The Chase as he battled in the rain with nine laps remaining.
"I thought, 'This is it. I just have to stick here and go for it'," Payne said.
"It was a pretty wild moment. I thought after that I was probably done.
"I saw Jimmy (Golding) had a really good run going up to turn two, and I sort of knew he was going to go (at Cooper).
"Those two made contact, and luckily I could just sweep through on the inside."
Murray and fellow rookie Jobe Stewart finished fourth.
Golding would have snared his first ever Supercars race win had it not been for the penalty.
"I had to have a go, that's for sure," he said.
"An empty feeling, but I just really honestly enjoyed that race.
"It was the best race I've ever done."
Reynolds returned to the podium for the first time since his third-place finish at the Adelaide 500 in 2023.
A crash by Triple Eight heavyweight Broc Feeney - who finished sixth - ensured the race went down to the wire across the final laps.
Feeney was third when he slammed into the wall at Forrest's Elbow with 35 laps remaining, leaving Ryan Wood and Golding to go head-to-head.
But Walkinshaw Andretti United youngster Wood endured heartbreak after his car suffered an engine failure with 23 laps remaining.
Murray overtook Golding on the restart before PremiAir Nulon driver Richie Stanaway crashed to bring out the seventh safety car of the day.
It was then Payne's turn for a shot at victory, and he pulled it off to claim the first Ford win at the Bathurst 1000 since 2019.
Last year's winner and pole-sitter Brodie Kostecki finished 18th after copping a penalty for running rookie Kai Allen off the track on lap 96.
Dick Johnson Racing teammate Will Davison's day ended earlier after a crash by co-driver Tony D'Alberto.
D'Alberto caused the first safety car on Sunday after ricocheting off the inside corner wall at Forrest's Elbow and crashing into the opposing concrete barrier on lap 55.
Tickford star Cam Waters was just as unlucky after a crash by co-driver Mark Winterbottom in the rain.
Waters had stolen the show after a duel with Kostecki, before handing over the No.6 car on lap 66.
Wood's teammate Chaz Mostert was next to suffer heartache, with his Ford Mustang suffering an engine failure on lap 59.
Mostert, who won the Great Race in 2014 and 2021, jumped out of the car and wasted no time in cracking open a beer with spectators.
Nick Percat and co-driver Tim Slade, in the No.10 Matt Stone Racing car, were also out of contention after losing a cylinder.
