Shane van Gisbergen’s first NASCAR Cup Series race at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway was one to forget, as the Kiwi star battled through a rough race that ultimately ended with a trip to the garage and subsequent retirement.
Starting a lowly P36 after a difficult qualifying session for the entire Trackhouse Racing stable—teammate Ross Chastain lined up just ahead in P35 while Daniel Suárez slotted into P23—van Gisbergen knew he’d be facing an uphill battle under the lights at “The Last Great Colosseum.”
His first major setback came on Lap 178. Already two laps down, van Gisbergen spun in Turn 2, making contact with Cody Ware and triggering the race’s first caution.
The contact forced SVG to pit with visible damage, and although the crew worked quickly to get him back on track, he returned multiple laps down.
Any hopes of salvaging the night vanished just under 100 laps later. On Lap 274, van Gisbergen dove back to pit road and into the garage, the #88 car showing signs of a mechanical issue.
The team was seen inspecting the left side with the car jacked up and the hood open, but things didn’t look promising. A formal retirement wasn’t immediately confirmed, but it was clear the night was over.
While the result won’t reflect it, van Gisbergen continues to gain valuable experience as he navigates the steep learning curve of full-time NASCAR racing. With his trademark resilience, expect SVG to bounce back stronger as the season rolls on.
It’s Bristol, baby—and it doesn’t show mercy.
NASCAR takes a two-week break before returning to Talladega Superspeedway. The race is scheduled for 7 AM NZT on Monday, 28 April.
Van Gisbergen has experience at Talladega, a Cup Series start back in October last year, where he finished 15th.
Header Image: The Infield Report / Fox Sports
I’ve been following SVG, he’s a good driver but he needs to get with a better teamm. Also, nascar needs to get rid of those tires they are making the guys use as they are obviously very dangerous and someone is going to get killed when the tires fly off. Who had the dumb ass idea to use a1 lug nut tire. Totally asinine if you ask me. SVG your awesome on the road tracks. Don’t give up yet. Get a new sponser.
GO SVG