» V8s: Lowndes hit with 25-point penalty

Stewards have hit Craig Lowndes with a 25-point penalty after yesterday’s first race of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, with the TeamVodafone driver earning punishment after he had tipped Todd Kelly into a spin during the race.

After starting the 78-lap race from pole, Lowndes had been forced to stage a recovery drive when he had to pit with a left-rear puncture.

Chasing sixth-placed Todd Kelly in the final few laps of the race, Lowndes tipped the Jack Daniel’s driver’s Holden into a spin at the Turn 9 hairpin, which allowed Lowndes through – along with Fabian Coulthard and Todd’s brother Rick – to file through before he could recover.

Race officials met with Lowndes – who would go on to claim fourth place – to discuss the incident, and agreed to hit him with a points’ penalty instead of a time penalty. The outcome means that Lowndes has been demoted to seventh in the Drivers’ championship standings.