HRT's pit strategy helps Courtney land his second win of the year

James Courtney has ended the Ipswich 400 weekend with his 12th career V8 Supercar victory and his second this season. The HRT driver played the strategy game right and was able to cruise home as Craig Lowndes and Chaz Mostert filled out the rest of the podium positions

Pole-sitter James Moffat was able to maintain the lead at the start as pit stops began on the very first lap. Lee Holdsworth was the first to hit the pit lane but was nailed with a penalty due to the wheels spinning during the stop. It took 21 laps for the entire field to make their their first stops, epitomizing just how many different strategies were employed today.

Early in the race, David Reynolds suffered a left rear tire failure and Jack Perkins also had an off. Later on, both of the Kelly brothers went for misadventures through the dirt within two laps of each other. Shane Van Gisbergen was the final man to pit, handing the lead over James Courtney with 20 laps or so to go.

He held a four second advantage that shrunk to three before he was able to widen the gap once again, eventually winning by 5.6 seconds. Late in the going, championship leader Mark Winterbottom suffered a left rear tire failure. He was relegated to a 22nd place finish and with his issues, there's been a change at the top of the standings. Jamie Whincup has taken control by just 15 points over 'Frosty.'

On the final lap, James Moffat tried desperately to get onto the podium, making a bold move to the outside of Chaz Mostert. He locked up and slid off the track, allowing Scott Pye to move up into the fourth position. Moffat was still able to come home fifth, just ahead of Jamie Whincup in sixth. They were followed by Nick Percat, Michael Caruso, Garth Tander, and Shane Van Gisbergen.