Motorsport: Scott McLaughlin escapes tricky day with commanding Supercars points lead

Scott McLaughlin has escaped a tricky Sunday at the Sydney SuperSprint, leaving the round with a 107-point championship lead. 

McLaughlin scored third and 14th-place finishes to back up his excellent race win on Saturday night.

The day started well for the Kiwi, scoring yet another pole position for race one, but he struggled with his tyre strategy, falling to fourth with five laps remaining.

But a last-corner pass secured him the final podium spot, finishing just ahead of James Courtney and Chaz Mostert, while teammate Fabian Coulthard's excellent drive was rewarded with second place.

The race was won by Brad Jones Racing's Nick Percat - his second victory of the season. 

Fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen led early, but faded after his pit stop to finish eighth, while McLaughlin's closest championship rival, Jamie Whincup, had a shocker - coming home 17th.

Race two was always going to be battle for McLaughlin, who had no fresh tyres, and after contact on the opening lap, he coasted home in 14th.

Kiwi Andre Heimgartner had his best result of the season, finishing second behind first-time Supercars race winner Jack Le Brocq.

The teams head to Darwin's Hidden Valley Raceway on August 8-9 for the next round of the championship.