The Bend Supercars: McLaughlin equals Lowndes single-season win record

The DJR Team Penske driver set up the record-equaling win with an early second stop, which helped him clear early leader Will Davison.

He is now poised to become the new record holder, with nine opportunities to move past Lowndes' benchmark still on offer.

McLaughlin made a tardy getaway from pole, as his Ford Mustang was relegated to third as Davison and Jamie Whincup blazed past at Turn 1.

Whincup appeared the raciest of the top three on the opening lap, and looked to wrangle the lead from Davison at the Turn 3 loop on the following lap.

However, a half-hearted dive put the Triple Eight Holden off line at the exit, which allowed McLaughlin to barge his way into second.

McLaughlin quickly closed up on the back of Davison, but unable to find a way through, and with Whincup and Chaz Mostert (Tickford Ford) looming in his mirrors, he opted to take his first stop on lap nine.

Davison followed suit a lap later, limiting the effect of McLaughlin's undercut enough to hang on to the effective lead.

At the same time Mostert briefly got ahead of Whincup with a pass at Turn 14 at the start of the final sector, only for Whincup to win out as they each took stops over the next two laps.

Mostert then put another pass on Whincup, this time using Turn 1 to shift into third spot.

McLaughlin quickly sparked the second round of stops for the leaders by pitting from second on lap 17.

Davison responded next time around, but an airbox fire as he hit the pitlane proved costly.

His Mustang died twice on its way into its pitbox, and the time loss was enough to help McLaughlin sail into a net lead.

Once in front there was no looking back for McLaughlin, who left Davison to do battle with Mostert and charged to victory by 2.4 seconds.

Mostert, who made his second stop three laps later than the winner, was able to put significant pressure on Davison in the early part of the second stint.

However, Davison was able to weather the storm, keeping Mostert at bay before easing the gap back out to just over a second by the finish.

Whincup kept the trio of Mustangs in his sights for much of the second stint, only to run wide on the way out of the Turn 10 right-hander with six laps to go.

That allowed Nick Percat (Brad Jones Racing Holden) to sneak through into fourth, Whincup forced to settle for fifth.

Shane van Gisbergen made up 10 spots to finish sixth behind Triple Eight team-mate Whincup, as Anton De Pasquale led the Erebus charge once again in seventh.

Tickford pair Cam Waters and Lee Holdsworth were next, with McLaughlin's team-mate Fabian Coulthard finishing 10th.

Coulthard's muted finishing position means he has lost second in the standings to Mostert, although the Tickford driver is still some 573 points behind runaway leader McLaughlin.

Result - 41 laps