Zak Best leads the support series to the V8 Supercars, going into the final round of 2023 in Adelaide.
The gap between Best and his closest rival, Kai Allen, is just 30 points, and with a maximum of 300 points on offer, the title is all but over.
The Benalla driver will not have the crowd behind him as Allen, a Mount Gambier product, will have the South Australian spectators cheering him on.
Best has led the Super 2 championship since the second race in the first round in Newcastle.
After round 4 at Sandown, the Benalla local had a season-high lead of 84 points, but that lead was cut after a crash and penalty scuppered Best’s chances of winning at Bathurst.
The equation for Best on the weekend is straightforward: he must outscore Allen across both races to claim the championship.
Both drivers are in similar form. At Bathurst, Allen claimed a third-place and first-place finish, while Best claimed two second-place trophies.
Best will be hoping he can go one better than the 2022 championship, where he finished runner-up to Declan Fraser.
While Fraser’s win saw him claim a seat in the main series, neither of the drivers in contention for this year’s Super 2 title have secured a 2024 Supercar seat.
A win for the ages in Adelaide may just be the thing that has teams chasing Best to drive for them in 2025.
But in the short term, Benalla has its fingers crossed that the local boy can get across the line.
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