SVG RIDES THE ROLLERCOASTER IN CHAOTIC NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE AT DOVER

Fresh off a dominant, field-carving victory at Watkins Glen last weekend, Shane van Gisbergen entered his first-ever career NASCAR All-Star Race locked into the main event at Dover Motor Speedway. While the Kiwi ace was looking forward to utilizing the exhibition race as a learning ground to conquer high-speed ovals, his night proved to be a chaotic, up-and-down affair that ultimately yielded a 19th-place finish.

Starting from the 20th position, van Gisbergen spent the opening stage of the 200-lap race fighting for grip and learning the nuances of the concrete mile oval, quietly crossing the line in 20th to close out Segment 1.

However, the All-Star Race’s unique format breathed immediate life into the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team. The field was completely inverted for the start of Segment 2, suddenly thrusting van Gisbergen from the back of the pack right to the front row, lining up alongside Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger.

The front-row start offered van Gisbergen a prime view of the clean air, and he aggressively battled Allmendinger for the race lead in the opening laps of the segment. Unfortunately, the dream of leading the All-Star pack was short-lived. On Lap 15 of the second stage, van Gisbergen lost the rear of his car entering Turn 3, spinning out from the lead group.

While he avoided terminal damage to his Chevrolet, the spin dropped him straight to the tail end of the field. Trapped in dirty air and logging laps at the back, he spent the remaining portion of the event fighting a handling battle, ultimately crossing the line in 19th position. Up front, Denny Hamlin went on to secure the $1 million jackpot.

Before the weekend kicked off, Shane van Gisbergen laid out his realistic expectations for the non-points exhibition event, emphasizing that the race was all about progression:

“Just got to keep accumulating (points). Going to try to learn a little bit at Dover. I’m looking forward to a long practice and getting to try some things, experiment a little bit. Just going to try to keep scoring points and maximizing every week and not make mistakes.”

Reflecting on his incredible form leading into the weekend following his Watkins Glen triumph, SVG acknowledged how high the mountain is to climb in the Cup Series:

“Unbelievable to win with the 97… to run them down like that, very, very special to do two in a row. But it’s not easy. Everyone’s really good. There was a lot of pressure there.”

Meanwhile, NASCAR icons have taken notice of how quickly the Kiwi is adapting to the sport. Former Cup champion Kevin Harvick praised SVG’s psychological edge on his rivals, noting:

“He’s got a great poker face. [He is] the best road course racer in the series.”

While the All-Star race didn’t deliver the million-dollar fairytale ending, the experimental laps logged on the concrete of Dover will serve as valuable data. Van Gisbergen will shift his focus right back to the regular season as he sits six points above the cutline, aiming to lock his provisional spot securely into the NASCAR Cup Series Chase.

The next NASCAR round is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next Monday 25th May.

Photo: Trackhouse FB

TRACKHOUSE RACING REPORT:

• Van Gisbergen started 18th in Segment 1 and from the start, battled a super loose handling SafetyCulture Chevrolet. A caution came out on lap 63 and the No. 97 team opted to stay out to gain track position. On the restart, van Gisbergen dropped to the back due to an ill-handling Chevrolet and finished 19th in Segment 1 after a multi-car accident ended the stage. Van Gisbergen went on to start Segment 2, second on the front row and raced hard for the lead the first 16 laps before getting spun around. Fortunately, the No. 97 Chevrolet didn’t have any damage. The Chevrolet driver went one lap down after coming to pit road for service. He received the wave-around with 19 laps to go in Segment 2 and finished 21st. Van Gisbergen started the final 200 laps 21st and struggled to maintain position during a 77-lap green flag run. The All-Star caution came out and the No. 97 team came to pit road to attempt to fix the handling of the Chevrolet. Van Gisbergen lined up 20th to start the final 120 laps and ultimately finished the race 19th.

“Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our day. Couldn’t quite get the balance right on our SafetyCulture Chevy. Got some track position in segment two and ran up front but got turned around and we weren’t able to recover from there. After such a great weekend at Watkins Glen, it’s a bummer to come here and have a day like that. But learned a lot and we will be ready for Charlotte next weekend, said SVG.”

SUBSCRIBE TO VELOCITY MAGAZINE 

For all our news keep your eyes peeled on the Velocity Magazine website and social media, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for our daily updates and to get the latest edition of our glossy magazine subscribe here from just $55 for 12 months subscription.

GET OUR LATEST ISSUE NUMBER 55 HERE