Kiwi driver Shane van Gisbergen endured a difficult outing in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after an early incident left his race compromised less than a lap into the contest.
Arriving in Las Vegas, sitting fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, expectations were high for the Trackhouse Racing driver after he secured a solid 16th-place starting position in qualifying. However, those hopes quickly unravelled when the race began.
Caught in the thick of the midfield pack, van Gisbergen found himself three-wide on the opening lap. As the field charged out of Turn 4, contact with Erik Jones sent the No. 97 Chevrolet sideways at high speed. The car snapped loose and slid down the track toward the apron, forcing the Kiwi into a dramatic save as the rest of the field thundered past.
In a remarkable display of car control, van Gisbergen managed to gather the car back up and keep it off the wall, straightening the Chevrolet on the apron before rejoining the race. The moment immediately caught the attention of commentators and fans, with many praising the save as one of the standout displays of control seen in the series.
While the spin was avoided, the incident had already inflicted critical damage. Sliding across the apron broke the underside of the car’s front splitter, a key aerodynamic component that helps generate downforce at speed.
From that point forward, van Gisbergen faced an uphill battle. The damaged splitter left the car handling unpredictably, with the Kiwi reporting large swings between oversteer and understeer as he fought to keep the machine under control.
By the end of Stage One, he had slipped to 34th position and was already a lap down on the leaders.
The Trackhouse crew worked hard throughout the race to improve handling, even making further adjustments during the final stage break, with mechanics focusing on the front-left corner of the car. Despite their efforts, the damage proved too severe to fully repair.
Van Gisbergen briefly climbed as high as 31st during the middle stages of the race, but as the laps wound down the compromised car became increasingly difficult to manage. He ultimately drifted multiple laps behind the leaders and finished 36th at the end of the 267-lap race.
“I thought we were going to be on for a good day,” van Gisbergen told his crew over the radio after taking the chequered flag. “That’s unfortunate.”
While it was a frustrating result for the Kiwi, the race itself delivered an emotional victory for veteran Denny Hamlin, who powered his No. 11 Toyota to the finish after a dramatic recovery drive.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver appeared out of contention earlier in the race after being penalised for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit by just 0.03 mph during a stop at the end of Stage One. The penalty dropped him deep in the field, forcing Hamlin to mount a charge back through the pack.
By the end of Stage Two, he had already recovered to fifth, placing himself firmly back in the fight for victory.
Hamlin’s charge continued in the closing stages as he worked his way toward the front, eventually reclaiming the race lead with just over 80 laps remaining after overtaking William Byron. From there, he controlled the race to the finish, holding off a late challenge from Chase Elliott to secure an emotional triumph.
The victory marked the 61st win of Hamlin’s Cup Series career and moved him into 10th on the sport’s all-time winners list, passing Kevin Harvick. It was also his first victory since the tragic off-season death of his father in a house fire.
After climbing from the car in victory lane, Hamlin admitted the last few months had been emotionally challenging.
“It took a few weeks to feel like driving again,” Hamlin said.
“Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve definitely found my love for it again and regained my focus.
“This sport is all about family, and mine have sacrificed so much to help me get here. It’s great that Mum was able to see this, and I know Dad is still looking down, saying, ‘That’s my boy.’”
Hamlin credited the strength of the Joe Gibbs Racing team for helping him recover from the earlier setback.
“The team gave me an incredible car today. When you have something this strong underneath you, it makes the driver look good,” he said. “Everyone worked so hard to make this happen.”
The race featured only one caution for an on-track incident in the closing stages when Connor Zilisch spun after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr..
For van Gisbergen, the weekend proved a frustrating setback after a strong start to the season. The focus now turns to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400.
Header Image: Trackhouse Racing
