Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
CHICAGO, Unwell. — Shane van Gisbergen made a bit of extra historical past once more on Sunday within the metropolis the place he made his largest historical past.
Shane van Gisbergen and crew have a good time after successful the NASCAR Cup Sequence Grant Park 165
The New Zealand driver, who gained the inaugural Chicago avenue race in his Cup debut in 2023, earned his second win in three years on the monitor, as he had a cushty lead on Ty Gibbs when the warning got here out on the ultimate lap on Sunday afternoon.
SVG, as he’s recognized, grew to become solely the second driver to brush an Xfinity and Cup weekend by successful each races from the pole. The opposite was Kyle Busch at Indianapolis in 2016.
And along with his third win, he’s the most-winning foreign-born driver in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past.
Shane van Gisbergen celebrates in victory lane after successful the NASCAR Cup Sequence Grant Park 165 at Chicago Avenue Course
Not dangerous for a driver who didn’t count on to race in NASCAR, aside from that one-off for Trackhouse Racing two years in the past.
“This joint, it modified my life,” mentioned three-time Australian Supercars champion van Gisbergen, who says he isn’t a fan of cities as he likes his area and grass. “I did not have any plans to do extra NASCAR races after I first came visiting right here, and I by no means thought I might be in NASCAR full time.”
Rain barely fell on the vehicles minutes after the checkered flag. So listed here are the takeaways from a largely dry Chicago race:
Controversial Warning
As van Gisbergen was finishing his next-to-last lap, Cody Ware blew a brake rotor and slammed into the Flip 6 tire barrier. It was a tough hit, however NASCAR didn’t throw the warning till van Gisbergen had handed the start-finish line and brought the white flag.
As a result of van Gisbergen had taken the white flag, the ultimate lap was accomplished underneath warning and the race was official. If the warning got here out earlier than he had taken the white, there would have been an time beyond regulation restart and a two-lap sprint to the end.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #47 Fee Chevrolet, and Cody Ware, driver of the #51 Arby’s New Angus Cheesesteak Ford, race through the NASCAR Cup Sequence Grant Park 165 at Chicago Avenue Course
NASCAR had waited to see if drivers may transfer their vehicles after hitting the tire barrier beforehand and had no thought how exhausting the affect was for Ware. So race officers didn’t throw the warning till they realized he wasn’t going to get it restarted.
The hit was exhausting sufficient that van Gisbergen may see the smoke from a number of hundred toes away (it got here in an space seen from the frontstretch).
“I got here out of the final nook and simply noticed a heap of smoke straight forward of Flip 6, and I simply held my breath till I crossed the road actually,” van Gisbergen mentioned. “After I obtained the white flag, I got here across the subsequent couple of corners and the yellow got here out. It was an enormous aid.”
Ty Gibbs, who completed second, and Tyler Reddick, who was third, would have liked one other shot at van Gisbergen on a restart.
“I’d have been all for that one hundred pc, however … I do not know [if it should have been thrown],” Gibbs mentioned. “That might have been superior.”
Offended Drivers
Highway programs typically carry out the tempers. That is very true on avenue programs the place there’s little run-off room if a driver makes an error.
The angriest gave the impression to be Joey Logano, who yelled at Ross Chastain for a few minutes after the race.
As he left the monitor, Logano mentioned that Chastain admitted he turned him deliberately and Chastain needs to be fined. What made Logano particularly indignant is that it was truly Austin Cindric who began the accident.
Joey Logano drives through the NASCAR Cup Sequence Grant Park 165 at Chicago Avenue Course
“Typical Ross. He simply sees crimson and does dumb stuff,” Logano mentioned. “That’s twice this 12 months on highway programs on the finish of this stuff, I’ve been value by Ross. I’m over it.”
Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman had a brief dialog after they tangled close to the tip of the race as nicely.
“He shipped us into (Flip) 12, ran us into the fence in [Turn] 1 and ran us into the fence off of [Turn] 2,” Bowman mentioned. “After which we simply form of pin-balled off of one another and he ended up on the more serious aspect of it. However we’re simply attempting to go straight off the nook. I don’t know why we did that … I wasn’t anticipating that to occur or to get raced like that, however we did.”
The drivers seemingly gained’t overlook. They usually have one other highway course coming subsequent week at Sonoma.
NASCAR seemingly will not overlook both. The league will seemingly take a look at each incidents to find out if there needs to be any sanctions towards the drivers.
Final 12 months of Chicago?
The cope with the Chicago Parks division with NASCAR was a three-year deal, with some choices. However NASCAR seems able to probably transfer its avenue race to San Diego.
NASCAR officers reiterated Sunday that they’re nonetheless in conversations with Chicago, and so they have a few months to decide (though NASCAR usually likes to get its schedule out by late summer season). Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the drivers previous to the race, simply as he did final 12 months.
Drivers appear combined, as they like the road race however in addition they see worth in shifting this race round.
“Avenue races are one thing this sport ought to decide to wherever it’s, whether or not it is in Chicago or San Diego or wherever it’s,” Trackhouse Racing staff proprietor Justin Marks mentioned. “I’ve at all times been a fan of discovering methods to take the product to the folks.
“In the event you can take what we do and plop it proper in the midst of a metropolis so folks can come see it and have by no means seen a race earlier than, I believe that may solely be good for the game.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent a long time overlaying motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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