Shane van Gisbergen delivered a strong showing in a chaotic NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing 11th after battling back from being a lap down in one of his best superspeedway performances yet.
The Trackhouse Racing #88 Chevrolet Camaro driver demonstrated his road course finesse translated well to the high banks of NASCAR’s largest oval, even if a few setbacks kept him just shy of another top 10.
Starting 31st in his third Cup start at Talladega, van Gisbergen quickly made his way through the field, running as high as second during Stage 1 and consistently staying within the lead pack.
However, his day took a dramatic turn on Lap 111 during green-flag pit stops. As van Gisbergen braked entering pit lane, he hit a puddle from overnight rain and lost control of the #88 Camaro, spinning into the grass tri-oval and making minor contact with Christopher Bell and William Byron.
“I’m trying to make it happen, but I’m getting dropped and making a couple of bad choices,” van Gisbergen told his team over the radio.
Fortunately, the spin did not cause serious damage, and the Kiwi driver cycled back onto the lead lap with the Lucky Dog at the end of Stage 2, restarting 16th.
A later penalty for speeding on pit road during Stage 3 temporarily set him back again, sending him to the tail of the field with 23 laps to go.
Despite these obstacles, van Gisbergen fought his way through the closing laps, restarting 18th for the overtime finish and closing the gap in the frantic four-wide battle to the line.
He ultimately crossed the line 11th, just 0.030 seconds from a top 10, and was the highest-finishing Trackhouse driver, ahead of teammates Daniel Suarez (12th) and Ross Chastain (13th).
“Decent finish for us in the WeatherTech #88,” van Gisbergen posted on social media.
“P11 is the best result at a Superspeedway so far. The race started off really well, ran up front most of it, but then just put myself in a couple of bad spots.”
The race itself produced a breathtaking finish. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe surged to victory in the final moments of the YellaWood 500, taking the checkered flag in a green-white-checkered finish after Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson faltered in the closing laps.
Briscoe benefited from a push from teammate Ty Gibbs to secure his first-ever superspeedway win.
“Ty Gibbs, just an incredible teammate there,” Briscoe said.
“I honestly would not have won that race without Ty. It was an amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I’ve never done it at any level.”
The overtime drama saw several playoff contenders stumble. Larson ran out of fuel on the back straight, plummeting to the back, while Byron spun just yards from the finish line. Van Gisbergen was also running inside the Top 10 before slowing with less than half a lap to go.
Todd Gilliland delivered a career-best runner-up for Front Row Motorsports, with Gibbs in third, Wallace fourth, and surprise performer Cole Custer rounding out the top five.
Christopher Bell crossed eighth, the only other playoff driver besides Briscoe to finish in the top 10.
The results shake up the Championship 4 picture. Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin have locked their spots for the title race at Phoenix, while Kyle Larson and Bell remain above the elimination line.
Meanwhile, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott face must-win situations at Martinsville next week.
Sunday’s race also featured 77 lead changes among 27 drivers, highlighting the unpredictable and high-stakes nature of Talladega.
Elliott, in particular, was collected in a nine-car crash early in the race, ending his day last after running near the top of the playoff standings.
For van Gisbergen, despite the spin and pit penalties, the 11th-place finish marked a career best on a superspeedway and underscored his growing comfort on NASCAR ovals.
With Martinsville looming as the penultimate race of the 2025 season, the Kiwi racer will look to build on this momentum as the Cup Series heads into the playoff finale at Phoenix Raceway in two weeks’ time.
Header Image: NASCAR
