RAIN, GAIN & PROGRESS: SVG STOKES OVAL AMBITIONS WITH 11TH AT CHARLOTTE

Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) delivered what is being widely praised as his best NASCAR Cup Series performance to date on the oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The grueling, historic race was cut short due to inclement weather, but not before SVG made a massive statement in his stock car progression.

• Final Finishing Position: 11th

• Race Status: Finished (Called early due to rain)

• Winner: Daniel Suárez

Known primarily as a road-course ringer following his historic debut win at the Chicago Street Course and 6 more NASCAR Cup Series wins, Van Gisbergen’s 11th-place finish at Charlotte marks a massive milestone in his mastery of high-speed NASCAR ovals.

Showcasing the elite car control that’s making him a global star, SVG delivered a masterful performance as track conditions deteriorated, fighting through the chaos right up until weather forced an early end to the race.

He finished just on the doorstep of the top 10, rubbing shoulders with the sport’s elite oval racers and beating out a significant portion of the charter Cup Series field.

This 11th-place finish at one of NASCAR’s toughest intermediate tracks proves SVG is no longer just a threat on street circuits—he is quickly becoming a legitimate contender on the ovals as well.

During his standout performance at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Shane van Gisbergen led the pack for 11 laps after fighting his way to the front of the field. The achievement wasn’t lost on the New Zealand driver, in a post race conference SVG said he couldn’t help but celebrate the milestone over team radio while battling with the frontrunners: – “When I took the lead from the #54 (Ty Gibbs) I might have cheered a little bit, so you’ll probably hear that on the in-car camera.”

Trackhouse Racing Report:

• Shane van Gisbergen led Trackhouse Racing with an 11th-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Sunday evening. Teammate Ross Chastain placed 35th and Connor Zilisch was credited with 39th-place.
• Van Gisbergen started third on Sunday evening at Charlotte after Saturday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to weather. Van Gisbergen had an impressive performance from the start, running inside the top 10 for the entire first stage. He slightly battled the handling of the No. 97 SuperFile Chevrolet before coming to pit road when the caution came out on lap 53. Van Gisbergen went on to finish the stage 10th. In the second and third stage, van Gisbergen continued to run inside the top 10 and grabbed more stage points in both stages finishing ninth and seventh. In the final stage, van Gisbergen started sixth and the caution came out on lap 318. The No. 97 team opted to stay out while others came to pit road, putting van Gisbergen in position to restart second. Van Gisbergen took the lead on the restart and led 11 laps before the caution flew on lap 329. Van Gisbergen stayed out, restarting first and battled to maintain the lead for the first couple of laps before dropping back to third. Then the caution few on lap 353, the No. 97 team chose to come to pit for tires and fuel in hopes to set them up for the final 47 laps. On lap 373 the race was halted due to rain and ultimately called official, crediting van Gisbergen with an 11th-place finish.

Shane van Gisbergen

“It’s hard. I had an amazing day, but I’m pissed. We were a top-five or six car, but we just didn’t execute at the end. It was really cool to run up front all day. We were gifted a good starting position with qualifying getting canceled. It was a good call by Stephen (Doran, crew chief) to stay out there. It was awesome to be able to lead some laps.”

The NASCAR Cup Series will return to action Sunday, May 31 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

Photos: SVG FB

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