Reynolds drove superbly to hold out the Red Bull Racing Commodore even with Whincup edging up beside him after making a huge dive under brakes on the last lap.

It was his first podium finish for the Erebus team.

“I just said to the boys, ‘sorry it took so long’,” Reynolds said.

“That race was really full on at the end there.

“I ran out of water, that’s why they gave me a drink at that last stop.

“I lost comms – I’ve had heaps of dramas.

“The car was beautiful.

“I smashed the fence a couple of times and the car’s a little bit bent so it wasn’t performing as well towards the end.

“Though it was really nice to drive and I could take it to its limit every lap.”

Down pit lane at Brad Jones Racing, it was a case of close but not close enough for Tim Slade.

He finished seventh to grab eighth spot in the series.

“It’s been a good year overall and, results aside, I’ve loved every single second of being a part of Freightliner Racing,” he said.

“We’ve got a few things to look forward to and improve over the off season and I’m sure we’ll find that little bit more for next year.

It was Jason Bright’s last race with BJR and it didn’t turn out to be the fairytale everyone was hoping for with him crashing out after hitting the wall late in the race.

Overnight, the team left hand-written well wishes inside the driver’s door for his final drive.