Shane van Gisbergen Continues Dominating in NASCAR with Historic Victory
Shane van Gisbergen’s most recent victory in NASCAR’s premier series was as historic as it was emotional. The New Zealand driver, with his father present for the first time this year, set a new rookie record in the Cup, earning his fourth win and dominating at Watkins Glen International.Trackhouse Racing’s driver joins Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive races on road or street circuits. Unlike his previous victories in Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma, van Gisbergen was unable to start from the pole position, finishing second behind Ryan Blaney. However, he knew how to wait for the right moment and took the lead on lap 25 of the 90-lap race, setting an impeccable pace on the 2.45-mile circuit.It’s incredible to have him here. It’s been a very difficult year for my father, and he hasn’t been able to travel, so sharing this with him is amazing.
Shane van Gisbergen
With five wins in just 38 races in NASCAR’s premier series, van Gisbergen is only behind Elliott (seven wins) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers on street or road courses. He is also the fastest to reach five Cup wins since the legendary Dan Gurney, who won his fifth race in his thirteenth start in January 1968. This victory validates Trackhouse’s decision to extend van Gisbergen’s multi-year contract last week. Tied with Denny Hamlin for wins in the series, van Gisbergen is second in the playoffs with two races remaining in the regular season. The first round will take place on three oval tracks, where the inexperienced van Gisbergen, who raced exclusively on road and street circuits while winning three championships in Australia-based Supercars, has an average of 26.9 this year.I’m excited because we’ve been struggling a bit. Executing the races has been difficult for us, so it’s really incredible to have a good day. Frustrated to be beaten by van Gisbergen. He’s doing a really good job.
Christopher Bell
It won’t be easy, that’s for sure. The first round, there are some very difficult clues for me, but I’m improving, I’m having fun and it’s a challenge. That’s why we are here, and we will try our best.
Shane van Gisbergen
Playoff Outlook
Chris Buescher, who finished third, increased his lead to 34 points over his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate, Ryan Preece, in the fight for the last playoff spot. Buescher overtook van Gisbergen on the last lap to win at Watkins Glen last year. His team adapted its strategy on Sunday to accumulate stage points instead of following the victory-oriented strategy used by van Gisbergen.Last year, we didn’t have to deal with the points thing, so we brought a fast race car and made it happen. We had a very fast race car again, we just took the opportunity to capitalize on some important stage points early on.
Chris Buescher
Frustrating Race for Ty Gibbs
It was another frustrating race for Ty Gibbs, who spun John Hunter Nemechek at the end of Stage 2 and then complained about the handling and strategy of his No. 54 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing’s competition director, Chris Gabehart, who recently began working as a strategist and consultant for Gibbs’ team, told the driver on the radio to “stay in the game” after Nemechek’s crash and then questioned his team’s strategy.Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, finished in 33rd place and is still winless since moving to the Cup after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. His teammates Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Bell have qualified for the playoffs with wins this season.I’m sure you have a very good understanding from inside the car. So you can call the strategy if you want, or we can keep rolling.
Chris Gabehart
