2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Coates Hire Newcastle 500

The 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship sums up in several moments in the course of this season. This season marks the beginning of the ZB Commodore Supercar, the end of the Falcon Supercar, the end of Craig Lowndes' full-time career, the rivalry between Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen, a rainy end at Surfers Paradise that named Lowndes the Pirtek Cup winner, there's so much to talk about what happened in the course of 31 races but for now, all eyes in the epic Newcastle finale where Gisbergen and McLaughlin are in a middle of a no-holds-barred fight for the title.

Beginning at the last Saturday of the season, Shane van Gisbergen's win has been stripped due to an alleged refuelling breach at his third pitstop, resulting to a 25-second penalty. With van Gisbergen penalized and disqualified due to refuelling breach, Scott McLaughlin takes the win. And in the final race of the season, McLaughlin is named 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Champion after finishing second to David Reynolds, with chief rival Shane van Gisbergen only fourth.

That really is a Supercars season to remember and with McLaughlin, a Shell V-Power Racing driver of the now-departed Ford Falcon Supercar, takes the win, that really is a send-off Aussie Blue Oval fans worth remembering. However, McLaughlin's win was easily overshadowed by Lowndes' farewell to full-time racing as well as other drivers making departures as they move on to their new teams.

This is the end of the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. See you next year!