The NASCAR Cup Series returned to Texas Motor Speedway, and it was nothing short of explosive. Amongst the madness, Trackhouse Racing walked away with two top-10 finishes and a gritty drive from Kiwi sensation Shane van Gisbergen, who clawed from 37th to 22nd in his Texas oval debut.
While Joey Logano stole the win in a dramatic overtime finish, Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain rocketed through the field to claim a spectacular second-place finish.
Daniel Suarez briefly flirted with a top-five result before ultimately bringing it home in 10th, while Van Gisbergen impressed with another clean and composed performance on unfamiliar oval territory.
From the Back of the Grid, the Trackhouse Trio Goes to Work
Qualifying didn’t go to plan for the Trackhouse stable. SVG lined up a distant 37th, with Chastain starting 31st and Suarez in 25th.
Up front, it was Carson Hocevar who scored his maiden career pole position, starting alongside William Byron. But as the green flag waved over the 1.5-mile Fort Worth tri-oval, it quickly became clear that nothing about this race would unfold smoothly.
Suarez wasted no time jumping six spots to 19th in just five laps. Chastain also made early moves, slotting into 28th, while Van Gisbergen began his long march forward with a cautious but calculated start.
Early Incidents and Rising Tensions
The first caution came early on Lap 21 when Noah Gragson lost the rear end of his No. 4 Mustang while battling with Suarez. The spin didn’t just bring out the yellow—it triggered a flurry of pit lane activity.
Everyone but Denny Hamlin pitted, and chaos began to simmer. Speeding penalties for Ryan Blaney and John Hunter Nemechek sent them to the back, while SVG picked up two spots on pit road to restart 35th.
As the green returned, Austin Cindric led the pack and held off challenges from Berry and Reddick, while Chastain climbed to 25th by the end of the stage.
Just as it looked like a clean run to the Stage 1 flag, Hamlin’s car erupted in flames after he radioed in a total power failure. The caution flew again, and Stage 1 ended under yellow, with Cindric taking top honours.
Stage 2: Mayhem, Mistakes, and a Trackhouse Resurgence
SVG began Stage 2 in 24th—already a 13-spot gain—and found himself battling none other than teammate Daniel Suarez as they traded positions inside the top 25. With Chastain continuing to move forward into 15th, all three Trackhouse cars were in the hunt – but the clean racing wouldn’t last.
Just moments after the restart, Chase Briscoe spun after contact with Ryan Preece but managed to avoid the wall.
Then, just 13 laps in, Josh Berry, who had taken the lead, bottomed out, spun, and hit the wall hard. The fourth caution was out, and pit strategy took centre stage once again.
Kyle Larson inherited the lead, and Preece jumped an impressive 10 spots during pit stops. Meanwhile, debris from a blown tyre on Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford brought out caution number five.
SVG kept climbing steadily through it all, holding pace in the top 25.
Stage 3 Begins with Chaos and SVG Dancing Through Danger
With the race back underway and 88 laps remaining, Byron and Larson traded the lead.
SVG hovered around 25th as Trackhouse’s momentum built: Suarez climbed to 16th, and Chastain was right behind in 17th.
But then came the seventh caution, and it was a big one.
Bubba Wallace, three-wide with traffic, brushed the wall and lost control, setting off a chain-reaction crash that collected Logano, Gragson, Bowman, Allmendinger, and Finchum. The incident ended several drivers’ races and handed SVG another opportunity—he narrowly avoided the melee and moved up again.
SVG’s precision continued to shine. As Jesse Love made contact with the wall, trying to get by him, SVG escaped unharmed.
Then, in another multi-car wreck involving Preece, Hocevar, and Cody Ware, SVG slipped through untouched yet again—now up to 18th.
With 42 laps remaining, all three Trackhouse cars were inside the top 20, with Suarez up to 11th and Chastain climbing fast.
Late-Race Carnage, Caution, and Trackhouse Capitalization
On Lap 227, Kyle Busch, running third, spun and hit the wall hard, bringing out caution number nine.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took a wild ride through the grass to avoid the wreck, briefly going airborne. Busch returned to the race after repairs but didn’t last long after being caught up in a wreck involving Keselowski, Cindric, and Cole Custer.
That set the stage for another dramatic restart with 15 to go: McDowell, Blaney, Logano, Larson, and Chastain in the top five.
SVG held tight in 22nd, navigating every restart with precision. Then came yet another twist.
Reddick attempted to overtake Suarez but misjudged the move and slid across the track after rear contact. There was no damage, but caution number 11 flew, tightening the field one last time.
Final Restart: Chastain Charges, Suarez Slides, SVG Survives
The green waved with 10 laps remaining. McDowell led, and Blaney and Logano gave chase. Chastain, locked into 4th, smelt opportunity—and took it.
Larson was struggling on restarts and dropped back. Chastain muscled into second, Blaney held onto third, and Suarez, sitting pretty in 6th, hoped for a final push.
But disaster struck for McDowell with three laps to go—while defending for the lead, he hit the wall hard and slammed the inside barrier. The race led to a heartbreaking DNF, just minutes from glory.
The crash sent the race into overtime.
On the final restart, Logano held firm. But Chastain launched like a missile, passing Blaney and taking up the chase. With clean air ahead and a white flag waving, Logano sealed the win after starting 27th on the grid—but Chastain crossed the line in a brilliant second place, also starting near the back of the field in 31st, salvaging an incredible result for Trackhouse Racing.
Suarez couldn’t quite hold position, slipping to 10th on the final dash, but still bagged a solid result after a rollercoaster day. Van Gisbergen, unfazed by the carnage and chaos, brought the car home in 22nd—a remarkable drive from 37th and further proof of his growing comfort on ovals.
For Trackhouse Racing, Texas was a tale of resilience and rising form. Chastain delivered their best finish of the season so far, Suarez proved he can go toe-to-toe with the sport’s best, and Van Gisbergen showed again why he’s the most exciting new talent in the Cup Series garage.
SVG avoided wreck after wreck, made smart decisions in pit strategy and traffic, and brought home a clean car in a brutal race where a dozen drivers failed to finish.
“A decent finish today for my SafetyCulture team,” reported the Kiwi.
“Just wasn’t comfortable with the car there at the start and struggled to find speed
“Thanks to my 88 crew for never giving up and continuing to work to make my Chevrolet better and better. We will learn from this and continue to make improvements.”
Up Next: Kansas Awaits
The chaos doesn’t stop here. The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway next weekend—another fast, tricky oval that will test man and machine.
For Trackhouse, the Texas turnaround builds momentum. For SVG, every mile is a masterclass in adaptation.
Set your alarms—the green flag drops at 7 AM Monday, May 12 (NZT). The story continues.
