It’s two from two for Jamie Whincup, but his teammate was the one to watch at the Tyrepower Tasmania 400.

Craig Lowndes was excluded from qualifying and tore through the pack to finish fifth.

But it was tight between the leaders as Whincup held off Mark Winterbottom’s Falcon.

“The car was excellent all day, we qualified well and I got a much better start in that last race,” Whincup said.

“Frosty pushed us hard, he’s obviously got a good car – it’s a classic battle, we’ve been doing it since 2008.

“I saw Lowndes flying through… it’s been a good day.”

Fabian Coulthard rounded out the top three, with Scott McLaughlin, Lowndes, Jason Bright, Garth Tander, Scott Pye, Jack Perkins and Lee Holdsworth top 10.

“I always had a smile – we couldn’t do anything about it. The decision was made and it was one of the things out of my control,” Lowndes said post-race.

There was plenty of action with issues at the hairpin on lap one, Robert Dahlgren and his Volvo spinning, with James Courtney, and Will Davison off the road.

It was a repeat of the earlier race for Rick Kelly, who was buried in the sand yet again and brought out the Pedders Chrysler Safety Car.

While it looked as if it would be a major blow to his Championship, Lowndes continues to lead the points after day two at the Tyrepower Tasmania 400.