James Courtney has taken out a pulsating Clipsal 500, backing up his 2014 win and jumping to the top of the V8 Supercar standings.

Courtney emerged victorious from pole, overcoming a relentless Shane Van Gisbergen and teammate Garth Tander for the race win.

For the final 25 laps, the three shared a monumental battle for the race lead, with the Kiwi wedged between the Holden Racing Team duo.

Van Gisbergen overtook Courtney on lap 60 but was quickly re-taken.

The Kiwi driver attempted several moves but Courtney was able to resist, becoming just the third man to win consecutive Clipsal 500s.

The final lap was marred by a major crash between Chaz Mostert and James Moffat, with Jamie Whincup appearing to nudge the Ford man into the wall.

Spinning back into the racing line, Moffat was unable to avoid Mostert at speed, with both drivers appearing to avoid serious injury.

At the start of the race, Saturday’s winner Fabian Coulthard fell asleep on the front row, allowing Whincup and McLaughlin to race past.

In front, Courtney showed good speed to open up a decent break on Whincup.

That gap evaporated when Ash Walsh’s retirement on lap 24 brought a safety car, bunching the field.

Another yellow flag after just two laps of racing came after turn eight claimed another victim for the weekend.

Lee Holdsworth lost grip and careered into the wall at the same high-speed corner where Chaz Mostert and Michael Caruso crashed on Saturday.

Holdsworth’s retirement brought new fuel strategies, pushing Van Gisbergen to the lead as Courtney opted to stop.

With a mix of two and three stop strategies in action, Courtney found himself as provisional leader ahead of Mark Winterbottom once the dust had settled.

Winterbottom’s smart pit-stop work, including an unexpected short stop after lap one, was undone by his racing as he was overtaken by Tander, Van Gisbergen, Mostert and Whincup.

Whincup was eager to join the three-way tussle for the lead, steadily working his way up the field but he couldn’t”t find a way past Mostert until the final stages.

The six-time champ had to settle for fourth ahead of Winterbottom.

Scott McLaughlin’s weekend of misery continued, with a battery issue plunging him from race contention to more than a lap behind the leaders.

Marcos Ambrose was unable to cash in on his fine qualifying but finished a creditable 12th.

CLIPSAL 500: RACE THREE RESULTS

1. James Courtney (Holden)

2. Shane Van Gisbergen (Holden)

3. Garth Tander (Holden)

4. Jamie Whincup (Holden)

5. Mark Winterbottom (Ford)