Contact with the Turn 3 wall during Stage 3 of this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race cost Shane van Gisbergen a strong finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Van Gisbergen was running in the top ten and looking to move forward before hitting the wall, which damaged his car.
He stopped under the ensuing caution and remained on the lead lap but was forced into pit lane again after the restart.
He eventually finished 27th, six laps off the pace.
The three-time Supercars champion put in an improved qualifying effort, going less than four-tenths off the pole-setting effort of Jesse Love. He remained on the fringe of the top ten through the opening stage, finishing 16th.
Stage 1 was won by Justin Allgaier from Austin Hill and Riley Herbst.
Van Gisbergen made progress during Stage 2, crossing the line in ninth to secure 2 stage points. His Kaulig Racing teammate AJ Allmendinger was first to greet the green and white chequered, ahead of Sammy Smith and Cole Custer.
A late red flag was required on Lap 145 after a large wreck took out several contenders, including Allgaier, Custer, Taylor Gray, Love, Herbst, and Ryan Sieg.
Sieg, who sat 10 points outside the playoff cutoff before the race, had lost two laps early after suffering an electrical issue. He returned to the lead lap as the ‘Lucky Dog’ after van Gisbergen’s incident and was running in the top ten before the crash.
Hill went on to win his second race at Atlanta in 2024, his third win of the season, ahead of Parker Kligerman and Allmendinger.
A strong performance from Josh Williams brought a second top ten for Kaulig Racing, with the #11 finishing eighth.
Van Gisbergen returns to action at Atlanta Motor Speedway tomorrow, where he earlier qualified 28th for the NASCAR Cup Series race.
Racing begins at 7.00 am NZST and will be shown live on Sky Sport.
Header Image: Kaulig Racing
