Jamie Whincup has fired a warning shot to Supercars title rival Scott McLaughlin with the quickest practice lap during the opening session at Newcastle.
Whincup's hunt for a seventh championship received a boost after his lap of one minute and 10.1577 seconds, 0.9057 faster than McLaughlin, who was seventh.
Holden superstar Whincup leads McLaughlin by just 30 points ahead of the weekend's season-deciding final round, the first to be held at Newcastle's street track.
Whincup said the circuit was "heart in mouth" after what he described as a "reasonable" session.
"It's going to be a crazy challenge to get it all right and keep it clean for 95 (laps) times two this weekend, but that's all part of the job," Whincup said.