Reigning Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has upstaged this season's title fighters to snatch pole position for the Sunday race at Pukekohe Park.
Whincup will be joined on the front row by Scott McLaughlin after pipping the Kiwi by less than two-hundredths of a second in a red-hot shootout at the New Zealand circuit.
McLaughlin's sole rival for the 2018 championship, Shane van Gisbergen, will begin from the second row after coming third.
The two Kiwis traded blows in a dramatic Saturday race, which included a five-second penalty to van Gisbergen for hitting McLaughlin in the day's pivotal passing move.