Craig Lowndes has won Race 21 of the V8 Supercars Championship Series at Symmons Plains today while Jamie Whincup sliced James Courtney’s championship lead in half.

TeamVodafone winner Lowndes launched off grid two, beating pole-sitter Garth Tander off the line and racing away to a comfortable win.

It continues Lowndes’ incredible run in the last half of the season which includes victory at Phillip Island and Bathurst and is now a genuine championship threat, just 188 points behind leader James Courtney.

Toll HRT’s Tander finished second ahead of Castrol EDGE Racing’s Greg Murphy – his best result of 2010 and his first podium since Bathurst in 2008.

The Bottle-O Racing’s Paul Dumbrell took fourth place ahead of Orrcon Steel FPR’s Mark Winterbottom.

Championship contender Jamie Whincup (TeamVodafone) finished sixth while title leader Courtney (Jim Beam Racing) was in 11^th place. It means that the points gap between the pair has been reduced to 41 points.

Behind Whincup in seventh place was Russell Ingall (Supercheap Auto Racing), Steve Richards (Dunlop Super Dealers FPR) and the Fujitsu/GRM cars of Michael Caruso and Lee Holdsworth.

Jason Bright (Trading Post Racing) and Shane van Gisbergen (SP Tools Racing) had a great battle, rubbing panels on a number of occasions. Bright eventually won the fight for 12^th place.

Also embroiled in a couple of incidents was Will Davison (Toll HRT) and Tony D’Alberto (Centaur Racing).

Qualifying and Race 22 will be held at Symmons Plains tomorrow, rounding out the Falken Tasmania Challenge.