SVG CHARGES FROM 31ST TO 14TH WITH HIGH-LINE HUSTLE AT DARLINGTON

Shane van Gisbergen carved out a strong performance in today’s NASCAR Cup Series race, rebounding from a deep starting spot to secure a top-15 finish aboard the No. 97 Mitti Chevrolet.

After rolling off 31st for the 400-lap contest, van Gisbergen immediately went to work utilising the high line, a groove he found success with in the earlier Truck Series race (where he finished in fourth place) to log top-five lap times and slice through the field. By the time the first pit cycle opened around lap 35, he had advanced to 26th, ultimately driving up to 21st to end Stage 1.

Stage 2 presented an uphill battle when the balance on his Chevrolet faded somewhat, prompting a pit stop from 23rd on lap 119. A caution just seven laps later temporarily trapped him a lap down, but crew chief Stephen Doran took the wave-around to get van Gisbergen back on the lead lap. Rejoining the action in 22nd, van Gisbergen fought through traffic to match his Stage 1 result with another 21st-place stage finish.

The turning point came at the final stage break when Doran opted to stay out to maximize track position. The gamble paid off when a caution on lap 283 lifted van Gisbergen into 13th position. Battling in clean air among the top 15 over the final 117 laps, van Gisbergen held his ground to cross the finish line in 14th.

“We were better than what we qualified,” van Gisbergen reflected after the race. “We were making gains on our No. 97 Mitti Chevrolet throughout the race, similar to the front-half of the top-20, maybe better. And then, the strategy put us into the top-15 and gained us a lot, so that was great. The line I used during the Truck race seemed to work for us, especially when the tires wore out. I could roll the top and gain quite a few spots. Clean air, as well, seemed to work.”

Main Photo: SVG FB. Other images supplied from Trackhouse Racing

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