The official three-day crowd of 192,242 in Newcastle was only 13,000 fewer than that announced for the four-day Bathurst 1000 race meeting at Mt Panorama.

The total attendance figure is based on ticket sales and not entry or exit to and from the track. 

Adelaide’s season-opening Clipsal 500 attracted 244,000 in March, but the Newcastle 500 has immediately become one of the most popular races on the Supercars calendar.

Supercars chief executive James Warburton, who is stepping down from the role on December 22, said the crowd numbers justified the decision to bring the race to the Hunter.

From Friday morning, the real action was trackside where hordes of fans watched their favourite drivers fight it our for the top spot. Fairfax journalists were roaming the Coastes Hire Newcastle 500 precinct all weekend to bring you live updates and an inside look at the atmosphere from the track.

The best of the Newcastle Supercars