During the closing laps of the race, Mustang drivers Aaron Cameron and Will Brown, running fourth and fifth respectively, collided heading into Turn 4. The incident was partially captured on the broadcast, showing Cameron spinning backwards on the outside of the corner while Brown lost control and spun inside.
Following the incident, Cameron was classified in 20th place with Brown just behind in 21st.
Post-Race Exchange Highlights Differing Views
After the race, cameras recorded an exchange involving Brown and Cameron’s team manager, Tim Blanchard, as Brown sought to speak directly with the second-year driver. The two drivers disagreed on who should bear responsibility for the clash.
Speaking to Speedcafe, Will Brown explained that he gained momentum coming out of Turn 3 and believed Cameron was unaware of his presence alongside as they approached Turn 4.
“Aaron seemed to be struggling a little bit with tyre life and he got a bit loose into Turn 3 and backed it in a bit,”
Brown said.
“I got a really good run out of there, so as he was pulling back and I was straight, I showed the nose into [Turn 4], got up next to him, and I just noticed that he didn’t even see or know I was there. He just turned straight across and I tried backing out of it because I knew he didn’t know I was there, and we made contact.”
“That move happens all the time, you run through that two wide. If he knew I was there, it would have been a different outcome.”
Team Manager Comments on Frustrations and Challenges
Tim Blanchard declined to comment on the incident in detail due to not having seen on-board footage but acknowledged the frustration of Cameron’s front-row start not translating into a strong result. The weekend had been difficult, with Cameron facing two previous setbacks—a spin in Race 1 and a collision involving Broc Feeney and Kai Allen in Race 2.
“We’ve got to have a look at it and try and understand what’s going on there,”
Blanchard shared with Speedcafe.
“It’s been a couple races in a row now where we’ve been on the wrong end of a bit of rubbing, so we need to understand and have a bit more of a deeper look at why we keep ending up in these positions.”
“The car’s fast enough, but we’re not getting the results to go with it. It’s a bit frustrating at the moment, but we’ve got to just keep going at it.”
Looking Ahead to the Final Race
Despite the setbacks, Cameron will start the upcoming final race from fourth place, while Brown has secured pole position. Both drivers face the challenge of turning qualifying efforts into solid race outcomes as they seek to recover from recent incidents.
