All six 'wildcard' drivers were debutants, along with Dean Fiore, Troy Bayliss, Ben Collins, Mark McNally, Tim Slade, James Thompson and David Wall.

[1] Friday morning practice saw Lee Holdsworth lead the session, recording a 2:07.7376 ahead of Whincup the only other driver to get into the 'Sevens'.

The second Friday morning session saw Steven Johnson record a 2:07.5702 to be fastest with Greg Murphy, Craig Lowndes, Mark Winterbottom, Alex Davison, Garth Tander forging into the Seven bracket.

The Saturday morning warm-up session become embroiled in controversy when Mark Winterbottom was blamed for an on-track incident between himself and Sam Walter.

Qualifying was interrupted early when David Reynolds speared off the track at McPhillamy Park Corner before making a mess of the front end of the car against the barriers.

The Triple F Racing Commodore of Dean Fiore and Troy Bayliss ended up three seconds slower than the rest of the qualifying field.

In the dying moments of qualifying Jason Richards set the fastest time 2:07.2230 with several leading competitors setting for last-ditch efforts, when Warren Luff spun into the sand trap at Murrays Corner bringing a premature end to qualifying and leaving Richards as the Provisional Pole Position winner.

Craig Lowndes followed with Shane van Gisbergen, Todd Kelly, Greg Murphy and Russell Ingall also progressing to the Top Ten Shootout on Saturday.

After Johnson was Luff, who ended up as the fastest part-time V8 Supercar driver, with Jason Bargwanna and Greg Ritter following.

First out Russell Ingall was conservative and did not push the car on a drying track after heavy rain struck the earlier support races.

Craig Lowndes was six-tenths faster, setting a time that Paul Dumbrell speared off at the Chase trying to match.

Mark Winterbottom missed Lowndes by hundredths and Lee Holdsworth was slower again before Garth Tander reeled off the only Seven of the session, a 2:07.9463 to take pole position.

The race began in wet conditions, Steven Richards won the start but quickly Will Davison climbed into the lead.

The replacement battery came loose in the boot and flew across the car, hitting and cracking the refueling pipes causing a leak, then a fire.

Rick Kelly was given the 'meatball' flag for dragging the car's rear undertray, loosened after contact with Warren Luff.

The weather cleared up again soon after, however a safety car at lap 121 after Fabian Coulthard's Falcon stopped climbing Mountain Straight bunched up the field yet again.

The running order prior to the safety car had seen David Besnard climb into the lead ahead of Todd Kelly, Murphy, Caruso, Luke Youlden and Tony Ricciardello.

The field was subsequently bunched up with several teams struggling to increase their fuel economy in preparation for the last round of pit stops.