Coulthard wins race 3 in Austin

Lockwood Racing's Fabian Coulthard has won Race 15 at the Austin 400, climbing over the Red Bull racers that occupied the front row of the grid. However, the New Zealander faces investigation over a possible mid-race breach, which could mean a penalty affecting the result.

While Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup have had to settle for second and third in the race, Lowndes has moved up into second in the Championship, eclipsing Will Davison who only managed 12th in the outing. Coulthard is fourth in the points, followed by teammate Jason Bright.

Davison's drop in the points wasn't Pepsi Max FPR's only drama this race – Mark Winterbottom's Ford Falcon led after a great effort in the early laps of the race, but had a shocking pit stop that cost him several positions. He finished in sixth, despite the issue.

There were plenty of battles throughout the field and a focus on Rick Kelly's Nissan Altima after the manufacturer's best ever Qualifying, which saw him start from fifth. Kelly couldn't hold on to the position though.

The top 10 was Coulthard, Lowndes, Whincup, Jonathon Webb, Shane van Gisbergen, Garth Tander, Winterbottom, Bright, Kelly and James Courtney – just one Ford and one Nissan in the mix.

There's a brief 40-minute break between races, with the final race in Austin coming up shortly.

Results

Pos Driver Team/Car Behind
1. Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Holden +0.000s
2. Craig Lowndes Triple 8 Holden +0.9402s
3. Jamie Whincup Triple 8 Holden +2.5474s
4. Jonathon Webb Tekno Holden +5.1604s
5. Shane van Gisbergen Tekno Holden +10.4711s
6. Garth Tander HRT Holden +10.8037s
7. Mark Winterbottom FPR Ford +11.7817s
8. Jason Bright Brad Jones Holden +11.9711s
9. Rick Kelly Nissan +13.7901s
10. James Courtney HRT Holden +15.1668s
11. Scott McLaughlin GRM Holden +17.0564s
12. Will Davison FPR Ford +17.0976s
13. Chaz Mostert Dick Johnson Ford +22.5896s
14. Todd Kelly Nissan +22.9029s
15. Michael Caruso Nissan +23.5216s
16. David Reynolds Rod Nash/FPR Ford +23.9679s
17. James Moffat Nissan +24.1729s
18. Alex Davison Schwerkolt/FPR Ford +25.7548s
19. David Wall Britek/BJR Holden +26.0261s
20. Tim Slade Rosenberg/Erebus Mercedes +27.3574s
21. Lee Holdsworth Erebus Mercedes +27.9187s
22. Russell Ingall Walkinshaw/HRT Holden +30.8187s
23. Dean Fiore Dumbrell Holden +34.1977s
24. Maro Engel Erebus Mercedes +34.7085s
25. Scott Pye Dumbrell Holden +34.9064s
26. Tony D'Alberto D'Alberto Holden +35.2637s
27. Tim Blanchard Dick Johnson Ford +44.3659s
28. Alexandre Premat GRM Holden +1m11.7316s