Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup Series outing at Pocono Raceway ended in frustration after the Kiwi was caught up in a multi-car accident that left him with significant damage and little chance of mounting a recovery.
The Trackhouse Racing driver had been quietly working his way through the field during the Great American Getaway 400 and was running just outside the top 20 when disaster struck before the halfway point of the race.
On lap 46, van Gisbergen became involved in a three-wide battle entering Turn 3 alongside Josh Berry and Austin Hill. As the trio fought for position, Berry made contact with the outside wall before rebounding across the track and into van Gisbergen’s Chevrolet.
The contact sent van Gisbergen spinning down the front straight, collecting Noah Gragson in the process and triggering a chain-reaction incident involving several other competitors.
Among those caught up were Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski and SVG’s Trackhouse teammate Connor Zilisch, as the field scrambled to avoid the spinning cars.
The damage left van Gisbergen with steering issues that required repairs on pit road. Although the Trackhouse crew managed to restore the car to a competitive pace, the time lost during the repairs proved costly.
Despite posting respectable lap times after returning to the track, van Gisbergen was unable to recover the lost ground and eventually crossed the line in 31st position, two laps behind race winner Denny Hamlin.
The result was particularly disappointing given the encouraging start to the afternoon. Van Gisbergen had finished 22nd in Stage 1 and was positioned around the edge of the top 20 before the accident derailed his race.
The incident also had significant playoff implications.
Van Gisbergen entered Pocono comfortably inside the provisional postseason positions, but the poor finish tightened the battle considerably. He now sits 14th in the standings and holds just a 10-point advantage over Brad Keselowski, who occupies the first position outside the playoff cut line.
Keselowski, who was also eliminated in the crash and finished last, expressed frustration with the aggressive racing that led to the incident.
“Guys were running really stupid races where they’re like three-wide on Lap 5 in a race where the strategy is going to reshuffle the field three more times,” Keselowski said.
“I was just trying not to get caught up in their junk. I missed the first wave of their junk but not the second.”
While the result was a setback for van Gisbergen, the next two events on the NASCAR schedule could provide the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
The series now heads to the inaugural street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego before travelling to Sonoma Raceway. Both circuits are expected to suit the New Zealander’s road-course expertise, and victory at either event would significantly strengthen his playoff position with 10 races remaining before the postseason begins.
At the front of the field, Hamlin continued his remarkable run of form by claiming his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver held off Tyler Reddick in a fuel-strategy battle to secure his eighth career Cup Series win at Pocono and the 64th victory of his career.
Header Image: NASCAR
