Payne claims pole for Sandown 500 ahead of De Pasquale

Chaz Mostert's rival Will Payne took pole position for the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 after setting a 1:08.110s lap in his #19 Ford Mustang in the Top 10 Shootout. Payne said recent overnight changes to the car for the soft tyre had helped, and that he had been fastest in the preceding qualifying sessions.

The pole is Payne's ninth of the season, meaning only Brodie Kostecki of Dick Johnson Racing can match or beat him, with three races remaining at the Adelaide Grand Final. Payne said he had a good record at Adelaide and was pleased to be heading there soon. Cooper Murray of PremiAir Racing qualified third, alongside Kostecki, who had already booked his Adelaide berth with victory in Saturday's opener.

Zach Bates will start fifth for Matt Stone Racing, with Triple Eight's Broc Feeney rising from 10th to sixth. Race 2 at Sandown gets underway at 3:30pm AEDT.