Ford star Scott McLaughlin has laid down the gauntlet to Supercars championship leader Jamie Whincup by topping the time sheets during practice at Newcastle.
McLaughlin scorched the street circuit, which is being used for the first time, with a lap of one minute and 9.5949 seconds on Friday.
The 24-year-old Kiwi's performance sounded an ominous warning to Whincup, whom he trails by 30 points in the title race as the season-deciding meet got underway.
McLaughlin put a 0.4345 second gap between him and Whincup, second fastest for the day.
After positing the quickest lap in the opening session, Whincup couldn't find the extra pace to match the DJR Team Penske ace.