KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - New V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup's remarkable run of race wins came to an end at Oran Park on Sunday after a gearbox failure struck his Ford.
Whincup failed to finish the second of three races in the final round of the series - his gearbox shredded by lap 13.
But it did not matter overall, with the 25-year-old Queensland-based driver having sealed the 2008 championship on Saturday with victory in race one.
Team Vodafone driver Whincup had won 10 of the previous 11 V8 races prior to his mishap on Sunday.
Holden's Garth Tander won race two, producing an outstanding drive to come from sixth on the grid and from as low as 13th during Saturday's opening race.
The Holden Racing Team driver did it the hard way, picking off every car in front of him to climb the pack and ensure he would start race three later on Sunday from pole position.
Holden driver Russell Ingall finished second, with Ford Performance Racing's Steven Richards third.
Retiring Holden legend Mark Skaife's nightmarish final weekend continued when he failed to finish for the second consecutive race.
He did lead his second-last race briefly while others made their compulsory pit stops, but rear wheel problems left him parked by the roadside.
Skaife, who will retire from fulltime V8 Supercar driving at the end of the weekend, had also failed to finish Saturday's race because of a pit lane scrimmage with Ford driver Mark Winterbottom.
Five-time champion Skaife will be honoured with a parade lap and presentation prior to race three.
- AAP