Shane van Gisbergen encountered a frustrating end to his NASCAR Cup race yesterday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A last-lap clash abruptly took the Kiwi driver out of contention, depriving him of what could have been a strong result and a potential top 10 finish.
Van Gisbergen began the 260-lap race in 30th position after a challenging qualifying session. He initially held his ground at the back of the Top 30, then he gradually advanced through the aggressive pack. After 60 laps of intense slipstreaming and lane jumping, he finished Stage 1 in 22nd place.
For Stage 2, he lined up in 18th position, opting for the inside line on the restart—a risky choice, given the stronger drafts in the upper lanes. About ten laps later, a caution was called for Ty Dillon’s Chevrolet, leading Van Gisbergen to pit, which dropped him to 29th for the restart.
In the following 40 laps, he fought his way back to 24th before another caution came out, this time due to an incident involving Chase Elliott, who narrowly avoided colliding with Van Gisbergen. As the stage neared its conclusion, several front-runners chose to stay out for stage points while Van Gisbergen and others decided to pit.
The race restarted with four laps remaining in Stage 2. After his pit stop, Van Gisbergen was in 16th place but skillfully maneuvered his way up to 15th by the end of the stage. Starting Stage 3 in a strong fourth position, he benefited from the leading pack pitting under caution. Immediately after the restart, he aggressively moved up, battling with teammate Ross Chastain for the lead. Van Gisbergen even briefly took the lead before the race dynamics shifted once again.
On lap 183, a pileup involving teammate Daniel Suárez triggered another caution. Van Gisbergen restarted near the back of the top ten and spent much of the remaining laps fighting to regain his position.
With only three laps remaining, the race took a dramatic turn when leaders Austin Cindric and William Byron collided due to a squeeze from Kyle Larson. This incident sent both cars spinning into the inside barrier, resulting in yet another caution and triggering overtime.
Shane van Gisbergen lined up in 11th place for the two-lap shootout, positioning himself for a strong finish in the #88 car. However, midway through the final lap, disaster struck. He became involved in a multi-car incident that included Josh Berry, Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, and several others. The crash forced Van Gisbergen into the infield, abruptly ending his hopes for a solid result. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line in 23rd place.
Van Gisbergen will be back in action this weekend in the Cup Series, gearing up for the highly anticipated first road course race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas!
Header Image: Shane van Gisbergen Facebook
