Shane van Gisbergen’s bid for victory in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the San Diego Street Circuit came to a frustrating end after a multi-car accident eliminated the Kiwi during Stage 2.
Van Gisbergen started the weekend strongly, claiming pole position for the first-ever Cup Series race at the new 3.4-mile, 16-turn Naval Base Coronado circuit in California. His lap of 90.809mph secured his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series pole despite a challenging qualifying session that saw him brush the walls on multiple occasions.
The Trackhouse Racing driver admitted after qualifying that the circuit had proven tougher than expected.
“Amazing to get the first pole here,” said van Gisbergen.
“Really cool. It’s tough; I’ve said it a couple of times. It’s your first lap of the day, and there are three, four, or five corners you’re probably going through for the first time of the day as your qualifying lap starts.
“I made a meal of it, but I guess the rest of the lap was pretty decent and made up the time back.”
Despite securing pole, van Gisbergen was cautious about his race prospects after struggling with tyre wear during longer runs in practice.
When the green flag dropped, van Gisbergen led the field away with Carson Hocevar alongside on the front row. The opening laps quickly highlighted the tyre management challenges he had predicted.
Hocevar briefly took the lead on Lap 3 before van Gisbergen reclaimed the position a few corners later. However, the Kiwi soon began battling rear grip issues and reported over team radio that the car was loose. By Lap 4, Ryan Blaney and Ryan Preece had both moved past, dropping van Gisbergen to third.
The first caution arrived on Lap 11 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr stopped on track. The neutralisation worked against van Gisbergen’s strategy after several rivals had already pitted for fresh tyres while he remained on older rubber. The caution erased the advantage he had built over those drivers.
At the restart, van Gisbergen showed strong pace and quickly stretched away from the field. However, a fierce battle with Preece followed, including contact between the pair as Preece made an aggressive move for position.
With three laps remaining in Stage 1, van Gisbergen elected to pit early and sacrifice stage points in favour of track position later in the race. The strategy saw him finish the opening stage in 27th after Stage 1 ended under caution following Bubba Wallace losing a wheel shortly after a pit stop.
The strategy initially appeared to be paying dividends in Stage 2.
After climbing back through the field, van Gisbergen had worked his way into the top five when another caution interrupted the race. He was sitting in a strong position as the race resumed and looked capable of challenging for victory as the circuit continued to rubber in.
However, disaster struck shortly after the restart.
Entering Turn 1, Austin Hill ran wide while battling in a tightly packed group. Contact followed, triggering a major multi-car accident involving van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell, Riley Herbst, John Hunter Nemechek and others.
The impact was severe enough to bring out the red flag, ending van Gisbergen’s race on the spot and destroying what had been a promising afternoon.
The accident was particularly disappointing for Trackhouse Racing, with both van Gisbergen and teammate Connor Zilisch eliminated despite showing race-winning speed throughout the weekend.
After being checked and released from the infield care centre, van Gisbergen was left reflecting on what he felt was a missed opportunity after showing strong pace throughout the event.
The Kiwi believed the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet had become increasingly competitive as the race progressed.
“A real shame. The Red Bull Chevy was really fast once the track rubbered up. A real shame,” he said.
Still frustrated by the incident that ended his afternoon, van Gisbergen declined to go into detail when discussing what sparked the multi-car crash.
“Ask the next guys,” he said.
The NASCAR Cup Series rookie also described the collision as simply “unfortunate” before summing up his feelings about the result in blunt fashion.
“I’m filthy.”
While van Gisbergen chose not to assign blame, teammate Connor Zilisch offered a more definitive view of the incident, suggesting that Austin Hill had left insufficient room as the field battled through Turn 1.
“He was pretty far from the wall and didn’t give me any space,” Zilisch said.
The young American was, nevertheless, thankful to walk away from the heavy impact unharmed.
“It was a big hit. Concrete walls are no joke, but I’m thankful for the safety these cars provide and for how far we’ve come as an industry.
“Our car was really fast today – both Shane and I collectively.
“It stings. When you have a chance to go and win a race, and you’re in a prime spot, and you get put in a position like that, it’s extremely tough.”
While van Gisbergen’s race ended early, the event continued with Ryan Preece claiming Stage 2 honours before Corey Heim dominated the closing stages to secure victory by 10.365 seconds over Bubba Wallace.
The result is a significant setback for van Gisbergen’s playoff hopes. Having sacrificed Stage 1 points in pursuit of a stronger overall result, the DNF is expected to leave him below the postseason cut line heading into next weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway.
Header Image: Shane Van Gisbergen
