Chaz Mostert has edged Jamie Whincup to steal a march in qualifying for the Sandown 500.

Mostert put car No.55 on the front of the grid for the second stage of a three-tiered qualifying process for the 500km classic with a 1:08.61 lap at the Melbourne circuit.

He beat home Whincup by less than a hundredth of a second, meaning co-drivers Steve Owen and Steve Richards have an advantage in qualifying.

Using the grid set by the main drivers in their first-up qualifying effort, co-drivers will now take to the track for a 20-lap qualifying race.

They will then hand back the keys to their regular series drivers for a final 20-lap qualifying push to set the grid for Sunday’s 500-kilometre race.

Fabian Coulthard was third, with Garth Tander in fourth.

Reigning series and Sandown 500 champion Mark Winterbottom managed 11th, with Shane van Gisbergen in ninth.