Motorsport: Lowndes deducted points for careless driving

Craig Lowndes. Photo / Supplied

Team Vodafone's Craig Lowndes has had an early setback to his V8 Supercar championship hopes after being docked points for an incident in Saturday's Clipsal 500 opener.

Stewards said Holden driver Lowndes had been penalised 25 championship points for careless driving following an incident involving Jack Daniel's Racing's Todd Kelly during Saturday's 250km race.

Lowndes finished fourth in the race.

His team-mate Jamie Whincup will have the chance to chase a clean sweep of both Clipsal 500 races after securing pole position for Sunday's second 250km event.

Whincup won on Saturday, and broke the Adelaide street circuit lap record during an action-packed qualifying session on Sunday morning.

His 1min 20.5353sec lap edged out Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander, who will start alongside him on the grid.

Ford's Mark Winterbottom was third fastest, with Lowndes fourth.

A massive crash involving Holden drivers Greg Murphy and Jonathon Webb marred the session.

Murphy rear-ended Webb at speed, destroying both cars and leaving both highly unlikely to line up in Sunday's race.

And HRT driver James Courtney's wretched weekend continued.

Despite his team working overnight to fix a car badly damaged in a Saturday smash, the 2010 champion was unable to complete a lap during qualifying - his car stopping midway through his first lap.

He will start from the rear of the grid.