Supercars officials faced accusations of bias after Shane van Gisbergen was let off the hook for a wheel spin in pit lane at Pukekohe.
The title-changing decision has been likened to Billy Slater's shoulder charge downgrade prior to the NRL grand final, given the high stakes in New Zealand.
The Red Bull HRT driver won Saturday's 200km race by just half a second over his championship rival and fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin in an electric contest.
But for much of the race and for three hours afterwards, his championship hopes were in the hands of race stewards as they considered how to respond to his pit lane blunder.