It was a confusing confession because, for a start, it's difficult to imagine Whincup being complacent about anything to do with his racing and, anyway, his 2016 title bid was already struggling before the enduros.

While it is true mishaps and mistakes in last year's Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 effectively put him out of championship contention, his failure to win a record-extending seventh V8 title was more due to lack of race-winning pace than lack of effort.

Whincup, however, remained convinced that he and his Triple Eight Holden team could – and should – have done a lot better in the big-points events at Sandown and Bathurst, which along with the Gold Coast 600 make up the two-driver Enduro Cup mini-series.

Which is why he is leaving nothing to chance as, unlike last year, he goes into the long-distance races leading the title points race after consistently strong, if not overwhelmingly dominant, performances in the sprint race events so far this season.

Whincup signalled his intention to consolidate his championship advantage with a flawless performance in Saturday's qualifying race to decide the starting positions for the Sandown 500 on Sunday.

The qualifying procedure for the 500 is a convoluted affair that ultimately comes down to a 20-lap, 60-kilometre sprint race.

The main drivers contest a conventional qualifying session to decide the grid for the first qualifying race between the co-drivers. Their finishing order, in turn, decides the starting line-up for the qualifying race for the lead drivers, the result of which locks in the grid for the 161-lap Sandown 500 – the traditional warm-up for next month's Bathurst 1000.

Whincup's cruise to pole position for the 500 was set up by his co-driver Paul Dumbrell, who won the preliminary race even more easily in their Red Bull Racing Commodore.

Amid speculation about his future, V8 veteran Garth Tander regained his long-lost front-running form to clinch second on the grid in the Holden Racing Team Commodore he is sharing with Warren Luff.

After Tander qualified fourth, Luff finished third in the co-drivers' race to secure his teammate a second-row starting spot in the main drivers' sprint.

Tander – who is in talks to stay alongside James Courtney at Walkinshaw Racing next year, when the team loses its Holden backing and HRT branding to Triple Eight – powered into second spot at the start and followed Whincup to the finish.

Volvo's Scott McLaughlin was third ahead of his teammate James Moffat, who continued his recent rise after struggling to come to grips with the Volvo S60 in the first half of the season.

McLaughlin will be partnered by former V8 regular David Wall, while Moffat has been paired with GRM Volvo team owner Garry Rogers' latest young gun, James Golding, who is being prepared for a possible promotion to a full-time drive next year.

Amid continuing conjecture about key remaining driver moves next year, it was officially confirmed on Saturday that the Sandown 500 will continue for at least three more years.

The future of the 500 beyond 2019 is uncertain, as the Melbourne Racing Club – which owns the Sandown horseracing and car racing complex – is expected to sell for residential redevelopment.