Shane van Gisbergen Continues to Make NASCAR History
Shane van Gisbergen’s recent victory in NASCAR’s premier series was as historic as it was emotional, marking a milestone in his rookie career. With his father, Robert, in attendance for the first time this year, the Auckland, New Zealand driver set a rookie record in the Cup with his fourth victory, outpacing the competition at Watkins Glen International.van Gisbergen’s rookie season in the Cup has been truly amazing. Trackhouse Racing’s driver joined 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive Cup 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 after being overtaken by Ryan Blaney. After qualifying second, van Gisbergen waited for his moment and took the lead for the first time on lap 25 of the 90-lap race. Then, he settled into a flawless and fluid pace on the 2.45-mile road course.“It’s incredible to have him here,” said van Gisbergen, who last saw his father during the Christmas holidays. “It’s been a very tough year for Dad, and he hasn’t been able to travel, so having him here for the next three weeks and sharing this with him, it’s incredible.”
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 13th start in January 1968. The victory validated Trackhouse’s decision to sign a multi-year contract extension with van Gisbergen last week. Tied with Denny Hamlin for the series lead in wins, 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 the Australian-based Supercars, has an average of 26.9 this year.“I’m excited because we’ve been struggling a bit,” Bell said. “Just trying to run 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’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure,” van Gisbergen said of his playoff prospects. “The first round, it’s some very difficult tracks for me, but I’m improving, and I’m having fun, and it’s a challenge. That’s why we’re here, and we’ll give it a good shot.”
Shane van Gisbergen
Playoffs Outlook
Chris Buescher, who finished third, improved to 34 points ahead of his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate, Ryan Preece, in the battle for the final playoff spot. Buescher overtook van Gisbergen on the last lap to win at Watkins Glen last year. His team adapted their strategy on Sunday to accumulate stage points instead of following the win-oriented strategy used by van Gisbergen.“Last year, we didn’t have to deal with the points side, so we brought a fast race car and made it happen,” Buescher said. “We had a really fast race car again, we just took the opportunity to capitalize on some big stage points early on”.
Chris Buescher
Gibbs in Trouble
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 over the radio to “stay in the game” after the Nemechek accident and then had a problem after Gibbs questioned his team’s strategy.Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, finished 33rd and is still winless since moving to the Cup after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. 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,” Gabehart said to Gibbs over the radio. “So you can call the strategy if you want, or we can keep rolling.”
Chris Gabehart
