NASCAR's winningest foreign-born driver has done it again. Shane van Gisbergen crossed the line over eleven seconds in the NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen. It was redemption for SVG, who lost this race one year ago after making a mistake on the final lap. This victory also comes on the same weekend SVG signed a multi-year contract extension with Trackhouse Racing Team.
"Good to get that one back," said van Gisbergen "Thank (you) everyone for coming out. What an awesome race. The last stint was a bit cleared out, but the battle coming back through I had a lot of fun. Thank you to WeatherTech, Trackhouse. Car was just amazing again. To get another win, and I definitely gave that Bus Stop wall another meter on that last lap, but yeah, awesome."
It was a fast contest with few incidents, ending in just over two hours. Christopher Bell finished a distant second, Chris Buescher third, William Byron fourth, and Chase Briscoe fifth. Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney finished sixth, Daniel Suarez seventh, Bubba Wallace eighth, Tyler Reddick ninth, and Ross Chastain tenth.
In the battle to make the playoffs, Buescher extended his buffer to teammate Ryan Preece, now 34 points clear as he holds the 16th and final spot.
Stages 1 and 2
Blaney held onto the lead at the start with SVG slotting in behind him. There wasn't much movement throughout the field, but Kyle Larson found trouble early as he spun in Turn 1. Larson reported a brake issue, and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had to go into the garage.
As the end of the stage approached, strategies began to split as most of the field came down pit road. Kyle Busch blew through his stall, costing him some time, but there were no other issues.
Chris Buescher, who holds the 16th and final playoff spot, stayed out and won the stage. He was followed by Alex Bowman and RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece, who entered this race 23 points behind Buescher.
During the stage break, the two RFK drivers chose to stay out along with Chase Elliott in third. All three were chasing stage points. This proved to be a mistake, as none of them were able to hang on.
In a chaotic restart, SVG cut a path to the race lead as Buescher, Preece, and Elliott fell through the pack. As drivers tried to find a way around, a stack-up behind Elliott ended with Josh Berry spinning into the armco at the exit of the carousel. NASCAR waited to throw the caution, giving Elliott time to make a much-needed pit stop. The yellow then flew for visible debris on the track.
SVG chose to pit before the end of Stage 2, putting him outside the top 20. Blaney chose to stay out and win Stage 2, ahead of William Byron and Christopher Bell. Lower in the top ten, Erik Jones nearly wrecked in a tense battle for the final stage points, thanks to contact from his teammate, John Hunter Nemechek. Soon after, Nemechek wrecked hard at the carousel due to contact from Ty Gibbs.
Stage 3
Blaney was in control for the start of the final stage, but on fairly old tires, while SVG restarted back in 12th. The New Zelander quickly marched through the field, snatching the lead away just a few laps later.
Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin made significant contact in Turn 7, but both drivers were able to keep their cars pointed in the right direction. Spire Motorsport teammates also collided with McDowell sending Hocevar around. There was a lot of contact throughout the pack, but the race remained green.
SVG made his final pit stop with 27 laps to go, setting himself perfectly to cycle back into the race lead as things cycled through.
It was no real challenge for the three-time Supercars champion, who cruised away in the lead as Bell and Buescher were left to fight over the runner-up spot.
Photos from Watkins Glen - Race
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
Watkins Glen - Sunday, in photos
| Cla | Driver | # | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Interval | Pits | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. van GisbergenTrackHouse Racing | 88 | Chevrolet | 90 |
2:10'38.974 |
5 | 43 | ||
| 2 | C. BellJoe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Toyota | 90 |
+11.116 2:10'50.090 |
11.116 | 5 | 43 | |
| 3 | C. BuescherRFK Racing | 17 | Ford | 90 |
+11.825 2:10'50.799 |
0.709 | 5 | 44 | |
| 4 | W. ByronHendrick Motorsports | 24 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+16.218 2:10'55.192 |
4.393 | 5 | 42 | |
| 5 | C. BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing | 19 | Toyota | 90 |
+17.182 2:10'56.156 |
0.964 | 6 | 34 | |
| 6 | R. BlaneyTeam Penske | 12 | Ford | 90 |
+17.320 2:10'56.294 |
0.138 | 5 | 45 | |
| 7 | D. SuarezTrackHouse Racing | 99 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+21.508 2:11'00.482 |
4.188 | 6 | 30 | |
| 8 | B. Wallace23XI Racing | 23 | Toyota | 90 |
+28.496 2:11'07.470 |
6.988 | 6 | 29 | |
| 9 | T. Reddick23XI Racing | 45 | Toyota | 90 |
+28.805 2:11'07.779 |
0.309 | 6 | 28 | |
| 10 | R. ChastainTrackHouse Racing | 1 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+31.995 2:11'10.969 |
3.190 | 6 | 27 | |
| 11 | A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing | 16 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+32.249 2:11'11.223 |
0.254 | 6 | 33 | |
| 12 | E. JonesLegacy Motor Club | 43 | Toyota | 90 |
+32.392 2:11'11.366 |
0.143 | 7 | 25 | |
| 13 | R. PreeceRFK Racing | 60 | Ford | 90 |
+32.872 2:11'11.846 |
0.480 | 5 | 33 | |
| 14 | J. LoganoTeam Penske | 22 | Ford | 90 |
+32.911 2:11'11.885 |
0.039 | 6 | 23 | |
| 15 | A. DillonRichard Childress Racing | 3 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+33.518 2:11'12.492 |
0.607 | 6 | 22 | |
| 16 | A. CindricTeam Penske | 2 | Ford | 90 |
+33.687 2:11'12.661 |
0.169 | 6 | 21 | |
| 17 | Z. SmithFront Row Motorsports | 38 | Ford | 90 |
+37.567 2:11'16.541 |
3.880 | 6 | 20 | |
| 18 | C. HocevarSpire Motorsports | 77 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+40.282 2:11'19.256 |
2.715 | 6 | 19 | |
| 19 | M. McDowellSpire Motorsports | 71 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+40.286 2:11'19.260 |
0.004 | 6 | 18 | |
| 20 | A. BowmanHendrick Motorsports | 48 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+42.632 2:11'21.606 |
2.346 | 5 | 30 | |
| 21 | N. GragsonFront Row Motorsports | 4 | Ford | 90 |
+43.514 2:11'22.488 |
0.882 | 7 | 16 | |
| 22 | K. BuschRichard Childress Racing | 8 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+45.994 2:11'24.968 |
2.480 | 6 | 15 | |
| 23 | R. Stenhouse JrHyak Motorsports | 47 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+46.833 2:11'25.807 |
0.839 | 6 | 22 | |
| 24 | R. Herbst23XI Racing | 35 | Toyota | 90 |
+47.191 2:11'26.165 |
0.358 | 6 | 18 | |
| 25 | D. HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Toyota | 90 |
+47.290 2:11'26.264 |
0.099 | 6 | 12 | |
| 26 | C. ElliottHendrick Motorsports | 9 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+47.512 2:11'26.486 |
0.222 | 5 | 18 | |
| 27 | J. HaleySpire Motorsports | 7 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+50.717 2:11'29.691 |
3.205 | 6 | 10 | |
| 28 | T. GillilandFront Row Motorsports | 34 | Ford | 90 |
+51.599 2:11'30.573 |
0.882 | 6 | 9 | |
| 29 | C. WareRick Ware Racing | 51 | Ford | 90 |
+58.890 2:11'37.864 |
7.291 | 7 | 9 | |
| 30 | T. DillonKaulig Racing | 10 | Chevrolet | 90 |
+1'01.026 2:11'40.000 |
2.136 | 7 | 7 | |
| 31 | B. KeselowskiRFK Racing | 6 | Ford | 90 |
+1'03.904 2:11'42.878 |
2.878 | 7 | 12 | |
| 32 | J. NemechekLegacy Motor Club | 42 | Toyota | 90 |
+1'06.882 2:11'45.856 |
2.978 | 7 | 11 | |
| 33 | T. GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing | 54 | Toyota | 90 |
+1'06.888 2:11'45.862 |
0.006 | 9 | 6 | |
| 34 | C. CusterHaas Factory Team | 41 | Ford | 90 |
+1'09.914 2:11'48.888 |
3.026 | 10 | 3 | |
| 35 |
J. BerryWood Brothers Racing
|
21 | Ford | 90 |
+1'12.552 2:11'51.526 |
2.638 | 7 | 2 | |
| 36 | K. LeggeLive Fast Motorsports | 78 | Chevrolet | 89 |
+1 Lap 2:10'58.041 |
1 Lap | 6 | 1 | |
| 37 | J. BilickiGarage 66 | 66 | Ford | 89 |
+1 Lap 2:11'41.737 |
43.696 | 8 | ||
| 38 | J. YeleyNY Racing Team | 44 | Chevrolet | 89 |
+1 Lap 2:11'42.046 |
0.309 | 8 | ||
| 39 | K. LarsonHendrick Motorsports | 5 | Chevrolet | 75 |
+15 Laps 2:11'28.095 |
14 Laps | 14 | 2 |
