Shane van Gisbergen overcame the serious adversity of travel issues and illness in Mexico and took it out on the NASCAR Cup Series field in a historic road-course race.
van Gisbergen led a career-high 60 laps and decimated the field in NASCAR’s historic road-course race Sunday afternoon, winning the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico.
The Auckland, New Zealand, native, who won three titles in the Supercar Series, clinched his second NASCAR Cup Series victory by easily distancing his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet over Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota.
The first-year full-time Cup driver won by 16.57 seconds in his 30th start and earned a spot in the 10-race postseason despite being 33rd in points entering the race.
The season’s second of six twisting layouts was the first points-paying international Cup event since 1958 when the series competed in Toronto.
“What a week, I felt pretty rubbish today,” said van Gisbergen, who called Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen for a few pointers before the 100-lap race. “Our car was amazing. I think the 54 (of Ty Gibbs) was close. But that (last green-flag run), what a pleasure to rip lap after lap and watch them get smaller in the mirror.”
Nicknamed “SVG,” van Gisbergen said it was one of the best cars he has driven.
“It’s certainly up there,” said the 36-year-old, who scored his first Cup win at the Chicago Street Course in July 2023. “I’ve been privileged to have some great ones in my time. When I go slower, I lose my concentration. I just tried to stay in rhythm.”
Daniel Suarez, his Trackhouse teammate and a Mexico native, finished 19th.
Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell rounded out the top-five finishers.
Subbing for last week’s winner Denny Hamlin (birth of child), Ryan Truex was 23rd in his first Cup start since 2014.
Hamlin’s absence snapped his consecutive start streak at 406 Cup races, dating back to missing at Auto Club Speedway in California in March 2014.
The 20-lap Stage 1 was marred right away as rain began to fall on Lap 1. That brought polesitter van Gisbergen and almost the entire field to pit road for rain tires, though Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric stayed on slicks to no avail.
As cars slipped on the 2.42-mile, 15-turn track, Busch lost control of his No. 8 Chevrolet on Lap 7 and sparked a wreck in Turn 1 that also collected Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, Justin Haley, AJ Allmendinger and Chase Briscoe.
With the rain ceasing in the segment’s second half and van Gisbergen passing Ty Gibbs for the lead, the No. 88 driver built a five-second lead but pitted with two laps remaining to change back to slicks.
Ryan Preece claimed Stage 1 and was followed by Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain.
Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota led most of Stage 2, but he pitted with two laps to go. van Gisbergen beat Bell and Bowman for the segment win at Lap 45.
With van Gisbergen having already pitted, the battle between the 88 and 54 took a twist when Carson Hocevar brought out a caution in a blind corner on Lap 66. That caused Gibbs to finally pit, lose multiple positions and end his chance of earning his first Cup victory.
–Field Level Media
