Frustration at starting on the V8 Supercars front row and failing to finish the weekend’s first two races made Scott McLaughlin fight harder than ever on Sunday.

And the Volvo young gun’s determination paid off as he closed the round at Sydney Motorsport Park with a gritty win in the third and final race.

The 21-year-old New Zealander started the 200km feature from pole position and crossed the line a mere car length ahead of Nick Percat’s Holden with Fabian Coulthard in third.

The victory was McLaughlin’s fourth since joining the championship last year and second of the season after Volvo’s breakthrough win in Perth in May.

“Over the Sundays this year, we’ve sucked,” McLaughlin said.

“We’ve been really, really slow and we chew our tyres.

“But the car was awesome today, the whole time.

“Another corner, though, it was that close that I think Nick would’ve got me.”

The win marked a great comeback for McLaughlin, who failed to finish either of Saturday’s two 100km sprints with mechanical issues after being on the front row for both.

His team worked frantically to change the S60 engine between the races, only for a loose wheel to end his chances of a result in the second.

“I was a bit gutted, but it spurred me on for today,” he said.

“I think it helped me with pole and winning today, it’s definitely helped my driving in some ways. I’ve just driven as hard as I can.

“I basically said to the boys last night, `let’s just go hard and play with our car a bit’, and that’s what we did. It was awesome.”

Holden’s defending champion Jamie Whincup retained his lead atop the overall standings with a fifth-place finish, despite struggling to see out of his windscreen for most of the race after it was covered in oil from James Courtney’s Commodore.

The leak signalled a disappointing end to the race for Courtney, who got the jump on his rivals at the start to take the early lead.

“It’s a shame – it’s probably one that got away,” he said.

David Reynolds and Scott Pye also had their afternoons cut short, an opening-lap bump sending their Fords into a concrete barrier and back into the pits.

Title contender Mark Winterbottom was blamed for causing the incident and handed a drive-through penalty.

A damaged tyre and unscheduled trip to the pits later in the race ended any chance of a solid result for the Ford Performance Racing (FPR) star, who rolled home in 20th.

He now trails Whincup by 135 points in the championship, with veteran Craig Lowndes a further 78 points behind.

Lowndes started Sunday’s from last but recovered to finish in ninth.

McLaughlin’s Volvo teammate Robert Dahlgren didn’t line-up on the grid after his car was heavily damaged on Saturday.

The championship next heads to Sandown for the start of the endurance series next month.